Turning the Tables
by Cathy Rin
Summary: AU. Natsuki vowed when he returned to Namimori from Italy, he would do anything to keep his sister out of the mafia. But his intention was four years too late. Tsunarumi already knew the secrets of her brother. She has her own agenda regarding it.
1. The Not so Dame Sister

**Okay, new fic! Most of the fics about Tsuna not being the Decimo tends to turn him into Dark!Tsuna, and I don't like it one bit. I like characters who are not too depressed about it. So I am making this thing anyway. **

**I know that I said that I would be working on this until this thing is finished in my files, but I couldn't help publishing this. I don't know if I will make this on as a preview like the other two (I am losing inspiration in Harry Potter) but I want to know what to do from you guys. **

**Chapter 1 The Not so Dame Sister**

Sawada Tsunarumi was once known as Dame-Tsuna to her peers. She was a girl with no self-esteem, below average intellect, no athletic abilities, and so forth. One could conclude that she was useless to anything that she is brought at. Nothing could ever change her. Even her twin brother, Sawada Natsuki thinks of her older twin that way, although he never said it, she could tell.

In all of this information, she had been deemed unfit to be the successor of the Vongola as the Decimo, even if she was the oldest daughter of Sawada Iemitsu, a direct descendant of the Vongola Primo. And so, the title as Candidate was transferred to her brother, Natsuki.

While Tsuna was a little too shy for her own good, and not very good at making friends and thinks twice first before going into action, Natsuki was friendly, sporty, cheery, and sometimes a bit of an airhead that sometimes made Tsuna want to hit him upside the head. But then, he was one of the brash and dense ones in the family, something that he got from their father.

Another thing: Above all else, she loathed her father. He was always leaving every now and then, and shows up at least twice every three years or longer. It would be called a miracle if he returned after a month, or if he returned in a week, it would mean that God intervened. She hated her father with a passion, but Natsuki loved his father who would sometimes play wrestling and other boy-related stuff with him, while Tsuna was left with her stuffed toys, and occasionally, her books and computer.

Ever since she had decided that she will never get out of her room as much as possible when their father was there, she would either play games on her computer or read and re-read her books that overstuffed her two bookshelves on the corner of her room beside her study table and window. And as much as her father tries to reach out to her, he can never win her love again. Not anymore.

By the time they turned ten, three months later, Iemitsu took Natsuki to Italy. She really couldn't remember the reason for that, but she knew that it had upset Nana, thinking the bad things of being apart from her precious little son. Tsuna paid no heed to this and just bid him goodbye, glad to be rid of the very twin that had everyone comparing her to him.

She loved her brother, don't get her wrong, but it irritates her insides every time she hears a phrase that can be translated as 'Why can't you be more like your brother?' and the fact that her father was going to brainwash her brother to be like their hateful father.

After Nana and Tsuna were the only ones left in the Sawada household, Nana had dedicated herself in raising her daughter the best she could. She taught her how to cook, and both of them divided the house chores, and if tests are coming, she makes sure that her daughter has her alone time in studying. It's not that she was disappointed with her grades, especially Math; it was just that she wasn't paying too much attention because her head is always in the clouds, and thus, her grades were too. The only brother figure she has was one Ieyatsu Giotto, a cousin in Nana's side of the family, although he could be mistaken as the relative of Iemitsu. But even he can't be by Tsuna's side all the time, because they study in different schools.

Until one day when she was eleven, she stumbled upon one boy, bearing the name of Hibari Kyouya, and that's where her life turned into a 180 degree turn.

Hibari Kyouya was not someone who is easily interested in a certain individual, more or less, a certain herbivore, a girl to boot. But there was something about her that made him a little off. There was potential that is being hidden by the overflow of emotions, something that he wanted to purge out of her. He had to train her in all aspects.

The moment the twelve year-old boy had offered this; Tsuna took no hesitation in accepting it. She wanted to be as strong as she could, to prove everyone wrong about her that she will become a failure in the future. She wanted to prove that she could be more than just the Dame-Tsuna that they have always known.

As the years passed by, she began to question everything that has been happening in her life, to the point of using the connections of Kyouya, whose father was once connected with the yakuza and discovering that her family was more than meets the eye. On the side of her father, at least…

That was the day that she had made a promise to herself, something that she knew that she will never regret.

By the time her brother returned to Italy with his tutor Reborn, Tsuna knew everything she had to know. And she doesn't plan on telling them. Let them find out for themselves, she always say.

**Four years later (Tsuna is now fifteen in second year)**

"Welcome back Natsu-kun~!" Nana said gleefully as she hugged her son that has been gone for five years. Natsu has, as usual, outgrown Tsuna by two inches, and his blond hair grew a little spikier that almost looked like a hedgehog. "Oh, and you brought someone with you as well!"

"Ciaossu. I am Reborn, his tutor," he greeted.

"Welcome to our home. I appreciate you taking care of my son while he is in Italy. I hope he is not any trouble with Iemitsu,"

"Not at all, although his grades are needed to be watched," he warned. While Tsuna was known to have below average grades; Natsuki's are just average. Not high at all in terms of IQ.

It was then when the door opened revealing Tsuna looking a little tired. "I'm home,"

Natuski turned to look at her older twin and was shocked to see that his sister has grown quite well for the past five years that he was gone. Tsuna was just two inches shorter than him. Her long brown hair was tied in a ponytail leaving some strands on the sides of her face, but still it could make anyone's heart skip a beat. Her overall build showed that she has an hourglass figure, which in Natsuki's opinion; his sister must have been working on the figure for a while now. All in all, her sister was really hot. Had they been unrelated, he would have courted her right now. She was wearing a modified uniform of Namimori Private Academy, with instead of orange rims on the yellowish blazers, she had them in black, and her ribbon was replaced with a red necktie with black vertical stripes. Her black pleated skirt was neatly ironed and crisp even though it was the end of the day, which was quite weird.

But being the brother as he is, all he could do was admire her, "Wow Nee-san, you sure have grown,"

He was expecting her sister to jump for joy and hug him, but all he got was a plain greeting, "So you're back. Welcome back to the world of the Japanese," she greeted plainly as she closed her tired eyes and massaged her left temple. Then she noticed the baby in the fedora. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the kid was no ordinary kid. '_An Arcobaleno,'_ She thought. "And I am quite surprised that you brought a toddler home," she added.

"Ciaossu. I'm Reborn, Baka-Natsuki's tutor," he introduced. Natsuki tensed as he looked at her sister. She was not as airheaded as their mother, and she was rather perceptive if she wants to. But woe was he; she just had to pay attention in finding ways to insult him.

"Baka-Natsuki? That's not a bad nickname," she mused. "Pleased to meet you, Reborn-san, to think that you would be taught by a mere toddler…that's shameful," she shot at her brother.

Natsuki somehow felt that his sister was not the sweet little girl that he has always known. "You sure have changed, Nee-san," he stated.

"Well I did grow," Tsuna looked at her brother, "A grand surprise that you came for the second semester just in time. Not having too much fun in your Italian school, _caro fratello_?"

Natsuki seemed to flinch when she spoke Italian all of a sudden. "Whoa, why the sudden change in language?"

It was then when Tsuna's phone rang. She fished it out of her pocket, laughing inwardly when Natsuki gaped at her hard earned iPhone 4. Even Iemitsu had not approved of Natsuki handling such an expensive phone. "Hello…? Kyoko-chan, what's wrong? Nii-san and Kyouya are at what?" she grunted, "I get out of school for a few minutes home, and I get this kind of news? I'll be right there. Give me ten minutes,"

She said as she stormed to her room, but not before speaking to Nana, "There's another emergency. I need to be there, go on without me," Nana sighed at her daughter's actions, but turned back to her son and his tutor, "Well then, I prepared a lot for us, but it seems Tsu-chan has a lot on her plate right now," she said as she pushed her son to the dining room.

He was met with mouthwatering Japanese dishes that he had missed over the course of five years, and had been waiting to eat them. No food tastes better than homemade ones.

Not a moment later, Tsuna came down in her normal orange and white hoodie and cargo pants complete with orange and white sneakers. Her hair was still tied in a ponytail, but this time, it was braided. She was muttering "This is not good…" again and again until she reached for her body bag that hung from the coat rack.

Nana went out of the dining room and looked at her daughter, "Going out? But Natsu-kun just got home, and you just got home tired," she complained.

Tsuna opened the door and looked back at her mother, "We will have plenty of time to catch up, but I need to get going. Something important has come up,"

"More important than me?" Natsuki wondered as he went out of the dining room as well.

He was shocked to see her glaring at him, "Don't think the whole world revolves around you Natsuki. I have a lot of things I have to prioritize more than your homecoming," she said and slammed the door.

"Okay, ouch." Natsuki said, "How could she be that mad at me?"

Nana sighed smiled, "She's not mad, just a little tired. There's a lot that goes on in school right now," she said as she pulled her son to the kitchen.

Natsuki looked at her mother but asked no further. He knew why she resented him for a long time, well, part of the reason, that is. He knew it ever since she started to lock herself up in her room with only the company of her computer and books. He started off thinking that she hates him because he got their father's attention, but then he came to realize that she was starting to feel like she was living under his shadow which sent her rage to overdrive.

…

Morning came, and he didn't know what time Tsuna had come back. When he got down for breakfast, Nana was already eating, and a dish and mug was already at the sink. A meal was prepared for him and Reborn.

"Where's Nee-san?" he wondered.

"She went to school early. She's in charge of cooking breakfast, but don't worry, she didn't put anything else but edible food in your plate," she half-joked.

Natsuki scratched the back of his head, "This early? What could she be doing?"

Nana smiled in return. "Like I said, school stuff,"

…

**Namimori Private Academy Middle School Division**

Tsuna arrived at the school as early as she could be as always. She didn't want to wake her brother up at the ungodly hour that she has already gotten used to waking up on. Their first meeting in five years didn't go as it should because of her stress temper that had occurred last night, and by the time she got home, he was already asleep from jet lag. Well, at least their father wasn't there, but she was surprised that he was just dumped at their house after the letter a week ago. Something must have come up for him to be evacuated from the _Iron Fort_.

She was greeted by the Disciplinary Committee prefects guarding the school. Namimori Private Academy was something out of the ordinary for Tsuna. For one thing, its students have been handled by two separate power organizations, namely, the Student Council and the Disciplinary Committee. While the Student Council presides over the needs of the students, the Disciplinary Committee presides over keeping the students in line. No matter how much free rein the council is giving them, they must not do anything stupid to ruin the reputation of the academy. She was thankful that she remembered to take off her armband of the Disciplinary Committee before she had entered the house that night so that her brother wouldn't get into some questions that she is not willing to answer at that time.

The moment she arrived at the gates, she was greeted by Kusakabe Tetsuya, and her friends, Gokudera Hayato and Yamamoto Takeshi.

"A pleasant morning, Sawada-san," Kusakabe greeted.

"Morning Tsuna," Yamamoto greeted.

"Good Morning Hime-sama," Gokudera greeted enthusiastically.

Tsuna smiled radiantly, "Good morning guys. I see you are in high spirits after that little _incident_ last night,"

The three went silent all of a sudden, and for a good reason too. The phone call last night from one Sasagawa Kyoko had been a frantic one. Kyouya and her older brother, Ryohei, have both been fighting two gangs at the same time at the back of the school. If it weren't for Kyoko's constant surveillance of the school property, and her secret tracking device (Courtesy of Irie Shouichi) on her brother, Tsuna wouldn't have gathered everyone so that the matter could be resolved quickly and without word.

Gokudera was very eager to change the subject, not wanting to remember what had happened to a pile of bodies of gangsters the night before while being irritated. "So…what had transpired of your brother's homecoming?" he wondered.

It was then when Tsuna scowled, "I got that phone call after seeing him for less than three minutes, so I wouldn't want to discuss that," she stated. "And he brought Reborn with him as well,"

"So they really are planning on gathering guardians for him here in Japan," Gokudera said.

"Keeping a low profile would be too late since the occurrences of the past four years that we have been in this Academy," Tsuna stated. "But then, I would not be surprised if Reborn gets ideas into making some of you as Natsuki's guardians," she then remembered a certain afro-haired kid, "Has Lambo arrived at the Pre-School Division?" she wondered, worried about the five year-old who had gotten lost in the campus yesterday and had almost gotten involved if it weren't for his classmate, I-Pin, a friend who kept him distracted to be away from the brawl.

"About a few minutes ago, Hime-sama," Gokudera answered.

Tsuna crossed her arms to her chest, "The only ones missing now are Nii-san and Kyoko-chan, Kyouya, Alaude-san and Mukuro," she summarized.

It was then when a yellow bird chirped and called her name, "Tsuna! Tsuna!" and sat itself on her head.

"What is this crowding, Tsunarumi?" a tired voice asked from behind them.

Tsuna smiled at him along with a blond boy identical to him. If it weren't for the hair difference, the two would be confused as the other. "Morning Kyouya, Alaude-san," she greeted. Hibari Alaude was the older twin brother of Kyouya, and the Informant of the Disciplinary Committee and the Student Council as well as the Vice President. He was the invisible go-between of the two organizations, like Tsuna, although he specializes in gathering Intel rather than negotiations.

Kyouya only grunted in reply. "If this conversation is about last night, then dismiss it. If this is about Student Council and Disciplinary Committee matters, _Secretary Sawada_, then do it in the office," he lectured.

Yamamoto laughed, "Come on, cool down now. Why so cranky in the morning? We're just talking about Tsuna's twin,"

The term 'twin' seemed to peak the interest of the Head Prefect and his brother. All these years of knowing the girl, all she had said are her lack of things that is always heatedly compared to her brother. Not once had he dared to ask that to her, knowing that she would go on an unnecessary rampage. "Be that as it may, get out of the gateway. You are disturbing the peace of the morning," he then looked at the brunette and her two friends sternly, clearly not in the mood this morning. "Aren't you three supposed to be in the Student Council Meeting room _right now_?"

The three 'eeped' at the sternness of his voice, that they just pretended to look at their watches and skidded out in front of Kyouya into the supposed meeting that they should be having in less than five minutes. Hibird returned to his master's head.

Kusakabe looked at the three retreating figures, most especially Tsuna. "Today is the start of her confrontation with her brother," he muttered enough for his leader to hear.

"I wonder if her training would pay off. What do you think Kyouya?" Alaude asked.

Kyouya only grunted, "I didn't teach her just so she could confront him. I taught her so that she could beat him up and prove that she could be better than his herbivore brother," he said as he proceeded inside, followed by Alaude. After all, they were also part of the meeting. At that, Kyouya ordered Hibird to patrol the school in a bird's eye view after his master attached a small camera on him by the band on its body and sang the school anthem.

**So, what do you guys think? Review so that I can make up my mind!**


	2. New School

**I'm loving the reviews~ it just makes me want to do it more! Here's the next chapter~**

**Chapter 2 New School**

Tsuna, Gokudera and Yamamoto arrived at the office in record time, just right to see the heads of other committees, and the President, Ieyatsu Giotto. By the time he had entered Middle School, he transferred to the Academy in hopes that he could watch over Tsuna's growth under the Head Prefect, even though he had protested in the training at first. He didn't expect that he would end up as the Student Council President just to fulfill the task until he graduates the Academy's High School.

"Good morning Kaichou," they all greeted.

"Good morning too, you three," Giotto said with a smile as they all prepared for the meeting that will commence in less than three minutes.

It took Tsuna four years to improve her self-esteem, and many other aspects. Shockingly, Kyouya was not _just_ a killing machine; he could pass off as a guidance counselor when she was with him. All of the things she has now were all thanks to Kyouya. But there was something that Kyouya had not taught her. That was making friends. By the time she entered sixth grade when she was twelve, she has met the young Yamamoto Takeshi after he accidentally hit her with a home run ball after putting too much power in his swing.

Of course, he became her first friend. Then she met Kyoko Sasagawa, who was the epitome of perfection and an idol even at their elementary division. She was enthralled by her kindness and cheerfulness that it rubbed on her and Tsuna was the one who consoled her when she was used as bait for her brother, Ryohei, and the one who helped him beat the crap out of them. Now that was something that Kyouya had taught her personally.

A year later, she met Gokudera Hayato who had been under the care of a perverted doctor. But he had much sense than hit on a twelve year-old that can beat him up in five seconds flat. Gokudera was a big help to her in tutoring after a certain incident that she doesn't want to remember regarding some thugs who thought that getting her would make Kyouya come out of the shadows and fight him. Since then, that was the start of Gokudera calling her 'Hime-sama' which sometimes exasperated her.

After that, came a myriad of events that had sent her to rise in the ranks, up to the place as the Student Council and Disciplinary Committee Secretary by their second year. Add to that, Gokudera's non-stop tutoring, and her circle of friends. Anyone would think of making her their Secretary for one reason, and for one reason especially. She could restrain the bloodlust of the Disciplinary Committee Head, which has never been done by anyone before. Just that mere fact earned her respect from the student body. Not even Giotto—without the help of Alaude—had the guts to confront him. The power organizations rarely come in contact, but when Tsuna had become their _Mediator_, that all changed. She was not called Secretary of both organizations anymore. Rather, she was widely known as Mediator Sawada.

The interaction of the two organizations raised the falling reputation of the academy. Now everyone thinks of Tsuna as the unpredictable student of their lifetime.

If anyone dares disrupt the peace and the reputation of the school, then they now have two platoons to go through: The army of the Student Council and the Disciplinary Committee.

When Kyouya arrived, the meeting has begun. "We are here to talk about the upcoming Sports Event that will take place in two month's time, and also the Scholastic Decathlon a week after. I'm afraid that we should get it going, because I feel that we will be distracted before that event." Giotto said and looked at Ryohei and Yamamoto, "Sports Committee, inform the students on the events that will be held, and the names of the players. We need them to be submitted within two weeks. Academic Committee, for the Decathlon, list down the list of the students with outstanding grades and have them go in a screening until only six are left," he looked at Gokudera who was in charge of that.

"Understood," they replied.

He then looked at Kyoko, "Social Events Committee list down the necessary equipments that are needed to be bought and/or replaced. Give the list to Chrome to list down the needed expenses, and Mukuro on the Errand Committee will be carrying on afterwards." He ordered. "Last but not the least, Kyouya, lend in one of your squad who are skilled in spying to make sure that no one dares cheat during the Sports Event, and I will give you permission on what punishment are to do with them,"

Kyouya nodded.

Then Tsuna remembered something, "Oh, and Mukuro?" she looked at the illusionist that she met just last year along with Chrome and their other friends. "Could you show my brother around the school the moment he steps on the gates?" she wondered.

Mukuro smiled, "I can ask Fran to do that. Your brother's intuition might be a little too 'freaked out' should he see me after I tried to take over his body, more so with the Arcobaleno with him, because he might slightly see through my illusion on myself," he said. Tsuna was quite aware that just a little over a year ago, Mukuro had set the mafia world into frenzy because of his 'taking over' bodies of influential people, to the point of concealing himself and making a man named Lancia carry his name. Of course, it was said that Natsuki took him out, but she knew that Iemitsu and Reborn had something to do with it as well. Mukuro told him everything that had happened that day.

'_Yeah, he might be freaked out by your all too familiar pineapple hair if he sees you…I don't even get why he kept that hairstyle unchanged in his illusion disguise…and besides, as far as they know, Mukuro is still in _that_ place…' _she thought "I guess you are right about that, and one can't be too careful on that issue, especially if one of them is the strongest Arcobaleno…" Tsuna said.

"All of us are aware of Sawada Natsuki being involved in the underground society, but please, do not let them know, especially our line of _'work'_ behind the scenes. As far as the Arcobaleno is concerned, the only ones that he knew who are involved in the mafia as of now are Gokudera, Lambo and God forbid, Mukuro and his group. From this day forward, you are not to speak of Mukuro's name unless you are sure that you guys are really alone without any _fly on the wall_. Am I understood?" Giotto said.

"Yes President," they all replied besides Kyouya.

"Meeting adjourned,"

…

"Does Nee-san hates me and Dad that bad?" he wondered as he walked to school with the hitman.

"You were gone for four years without any word to any of them. Your Mom can take it, but your sister can't." Reborn stated. "It's only reasonable that she hates the two of you to the bones without notifying your mother, but on my opinion, she hates only your father. She thinks she is being left out by your father and on your case, she might just see it as you being dragged along the hate because of him."

Natsuki hummed, "So she thinks that Dad has favoritism?" he asked.

"Bingo. Mama also told me that she only interacts with your cousin, Giotto, on a regular basis. And because of the sibling-like bond they created while you were absent, he decided to transfer to the school you are at to keep a close eye on her," he said as they neared the school.

Natsuki laughed sheepishly, "I guess she replaced me with Giotto-nii,"

"And that is a bad thing on your sibling relationship you idiot, but she hates Iemitsu more, since you have only been tangled up in her hate," Reborn stated.

"That's supposed to make me feel better?" Natsuki growled.

"No,"

Their attention turned to a boy with green hair with a red apple bonnet complete with a stalk and a leaf looking around at the gates. He looked to be at the same age as him, but his face looked too bored. But not until the boy spotted Natsuki as he arrived at the gates. He wondered if the bonnet was a violation of dress code, but the disciplinary boys paid him no heed, as if he has special treatment. Reborn has chosen to disappear at this time.

"You must be Sawada Natsuki-san," he said and the boy nodded. He was a little weirded out on the blankness of his face and voice, "I'm Fran and I will be your guide since we are in the same class." He introduced. "Giotto-san asked me to show you around,"

Natsu tilted her head, "Giotto-nii? How come?" he asked.

Fran looked at him with wide eyes, but returned to his normal face, "He is the Student Council President of course," he informed. "And it's his duty to make new students feel welcome here,"

"Oh…forgot about that…" Natsuki said as he remembered the last phone call from Giotto about him being the president.

Fran interrupted his thoughts, "Well then, there is still an hour before school starts, so we have to get started," he then took out a sheet of paper as they went inside the school premises, not noticing some people staring at them from the third floor windows, "This is the class schedule of our class, our adviser is Hizashi-sensei, he's kind, but don't piss him off. You have to abide by the rules, or you will have to answer to the Disciplinary Committee members like the ones you just saw wearing an exaggerated hairstyle of a punch perm, unless you are to be saved by a Good Samaritan, a.k.a. one of the Student Council members to let you off in your first offense. Besides the principal and the teachers, the school is led by two power organizations. The Student Council presides over the needs and wants of the students, the Disciplinary Committee, led by Hibari Kyouya, presides over keeping the students in line, as to not ruin our reputation," he said.

"If you are interested in joining any clubs, or just want some more information of the school, just ask either me or our class president Kurokawa Hana-san, and you will be just fine," he continued.

"Um…are you part of the Council, by any chance?" Natsuki asked.

Fran looked at him. "Pretty much, I'm part of the Errand Committee. We do some of the errands while the others are busy with filing numerous things," he informed. "On my opinion, we actually have it good." He stated.

Natsuki sweat dropped. _'So the Council has it bad with paperwork huh? Now I'm even more afraid on what will happen to my hands should I take the Ninth's title and be bombarded by paperwork…'_ then he remembered to ask around for his sister. He was really intrigued on why she had to leave earlier than he. "By the way, do you know my twin, Sawada Tsunarumi?" he asked.

"Yup," Fran answered. "She's in another class. She used to be my classmate back in freshman year. She comes early because of some duties," he informed.

"What kind of duties?" he pried.

Fran inwardly smirked at the curiosity of the twin. But he had his orders. "You'll find out soon enough Sawada-san," he said and opened the door of the Teacher's office before Natsuki could ask further. "Excuse me, is Hizashi-sensei in?" he wondered.

Hizashi, a man in his twenties with brown hair and blue eyes wearing glasses raised his hand from his side of the office, "Ah, Fran-kun, over here," he called. The two immediately went to the teacher, "Ah, I see the resemblance of you and Sawada-chan," he said. "She is a student of mine in English. I hope you could be an excellent student, just like her,"

Hold on, Excellent? Just like 'her'? Is he talking about his sister? Last time he heard, his sister was below average in her grades. "She improved her grades a little bit about four years ago. We were surprised by her progress, but one could think that she is finally putting on much effort on her grades," the teacher continued. He then looked at Fran, "Thank you for bringing him here Fran-kun. You can show him around at Lunch break later. I will take Sawada-kun to the room after bringing him to the Principal to finish off some of the paperwork,"

Fran bowed and left while fishing out his phone. "Hime-sama, he's in Hizashi-sensei's custody," he informed.

Tsuna smiled from the phone, "Thanks for the help Fran-kun," Tsuna thanked and hung up.

…

When Natsuki was introduced to the class, there were a lot of murmurs and giggles from them. "This is Sawada Natsuki, and he will be joining our class from now on," Hizashi-sensei introduced.

"Pleased to meet you, my name is Sawada Natsuki. I am fluent in English and Italian, and I play soccer on my free time. I'm not that good in martial arts, but I'm still trying. I hope we can get along," before the other students could ask any questions, he was seated beside Fran by the window. Looking outside, he could swear that he saw a yellow ball of fluff flying around the vicinity. Do they have pets like that here in Namimori?

Lunch time came and Natsuki was instantly bombarded with questions from girls about what was it like in Italy, or what was his favorite past time, the works. Until Fran and a girl with black hair stopped them.

"What is your favorite pastime?" one of them asked.

"Are you interested in specific sports?"

"Sawada-kun, are you related to the Mediator?" the Mediator? What does that mean?

"That's enough from all of you," a black haired girl said. He knew her to be their class president, Kurokawa Hana.

"Give him some space. I have to take him and show him around the school," Fran stated and pulled him out of the mob of girls out of the room.

"Thanks a lot Fran-kun," Natsuki thanked.

Fran smiled slightly, like that of a Mona Lisa smile, "It's fine. I did promise to show you around. We will start with the grounds," he said.

Natsuki was rather impressed by the school's nature-loving facilities, like the greenhouses that are taken care of by the gardening club, and the different sports fields, although Fran warned him not to go to the baseball field if he doesn't want to be hit by the ball during their practices. He showed him around all of the facilities in the Middle School division, saying that he will have time to explore the other divisions when he gets the chance.

Then Natsuki remembered one of the questions of his classmates about being related to someone called Mediator.

"By the way," Natsuki said as they walked, "Who is this Mediator?" he wondered.

Fran stopped at the stairs, "Why the sudden curiosity?" he wondered.

"I…I just heard it being asked if I was related to the Mediator," he replied.

Fran smiled as he walked again, "Well, since you have the right to know," he said. "Mediator-san is the go-between of the Student Council and the Disciplinary Committee," he said.

Now that was a surprise. According to his research, the Disciplinary Committee was one of the most violent punishers that he personally thinks is worse as Vindice. "What? Is that a high position?" he wondered. He needed to find out more about the mediator.

Fran hummed for a while, "You could call it one of a kind," he answered. "Mediator-san is really the SC and DC secretary. That similar position alone is an interesting set of power, although Mediator-san is originally the secretary of the DC back at fifth grade. Mediator-san is the only one who could talk to the Head Prefect alone without getting beaten up verbally or physically. Of course Giotto-san can talk to him, but he will sometimes be ignored or attacked most of the time, and it is still Mediator-san's job to cut off the fights, along with Hibari-san's twin brother, Alaude-san,"

Fran then shook his head, "Well then, shall we get going? I'm getting goose bumps just thinking about it," he said as they continued on to the next floor.

Their last stops were the Disciplinary Committee office and the Student Council office. Fran decided to take him to the worst first before going into the last organization of the school. Fran stopped at the Reception Room and knocked twice.

"Enter," a deep voice said.

Fran opened it revealing a boy in a gakuran school uniform, a specific uniform for the Disciplinary Committee only. "Excuse me, New Student Tour just passing by, Hibari-san," Fran said with the same deadpanned voice.

Kyouya looked up from the paper he was reading and eyed the two entering the room. They stopped in front of his desk, giving him a clear view of the twin of Tsuna. "So this is the younger twin of Sawada Tsunarumi," he said. "Given the reputation of your sister, I expect that you act accordingly to our rules here in the academy. I'm sure you have already heard it from Fran, but I will remind you again, the Disciplinary Committee _keeps_ the students _in line_. Should you step out of it, consider yourself in severe pain for weeks. We do not tolerate any rule breakers in the school that could ruin our reputation. Just so you know, the Student Council agrees with us," he said. "For the next two months, you should know that the committee will be watching over you to make sure that you are not up to something _funny_ in the school."

Natsuki thought what kind of reputation his sister held for the Head Prefect to compare him to her.

"You can leave the office now to proceed to the Student Council. The Kaichou is very eager in seeing your face," he said with hidden amusement.

As the two bowed and left, Natsuki couldn't tell why the prefect had some kind of hidden amusement in his voice when he said the last sentence. It was really weird. The sooner he finds his sister, the better. He really couldn't understand things here. In any second, he could just blow his mind up.

Fran stopped at the door that said 'Student Council Office' and from the sounds inside, there was a small sound of ruffling of paper, meaning; only one person was inside. Just like what Fran did to the Reception room, he knocked first. But instead of a deep voice, a muffled voice of a girl was heard. It was pretty familiar to him, but he didn't realize who it was, until Fran opened the door.

**And a cliffhanger for a change! **

**I've been having a problem in the fic. I know that you guys want to have the Ring Battles elaborated, but I've been having troubles with action scenes recently, since it wasn't my forte from the start. I was wondering if you would like it instead that Tsuna explain it on her own view while watching from a distance and without much of the action…if that's alright. I've had some issues recently that made me unable to finish a chapter a day and a half each, and I got stuck in the action department…**

**REVIEW!**


	3. Shock of a Lifetime

**Wow I've been updating more recently…weird…that's what I get for being in a strict internet usage. I'm only using a USB broadband (I don't know wha it's really called) that I sometimes load in that will last me an internet surfing for 24 hours only, and then I have to ask my mom to load the internet again, if she agrees…**

**Well, that aside, I'm already working on the Ring Battles and the last of the chapters that I am making. I've been having troubles with watching the ring battles over and over again and wording them out while adding something else into the mix. Well, enough spoilers enjoy!**

**Chapter 3 Shock of a Lifetime**

"Ah, I see you are in your last stop of the overview tour," a familiar voice said. Natuski rubbed his eye to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. He was not, unfortunately. He was really seeing his sister on the table of the SC President, sorting out the papers. She seemed to be in a better mood than last night.

"Nee-san, what are you doing here?" he asked.

Tsuna sighed as she went on with the papers, "I am here because our President as gone AWOL again on his duties, and Vice President, Alaude-san, is hunting him down now along with the others," she explained.

"That explains the silence," Fran commented. "Usually you can hear Octopus head-san screaming his lungs out at Yamamoto-san and Turf Head-sempai,"

Natsuki shook his head, "No, why are you here, _here_? Aren't the SC members only allowed here?" he asked.

Tsuna stared at her little brother for a while before laughing lightly. She was about to answer when a noise was heard from the outside. Fran pulled Natsuki out of the doorway to witness the Student Council President being lifted up like a log by four people and another one following behind. The president was shouting incoherent words until it became clear that he was struggling while saying "Let me go!" repeatedly.

Tsuna then stepped out of the way and prepared the chair of Giotto while the four—Yamamoto, Gokudera, Ryohei and a disguised Mukuro sat him down forcefully.

Then the blond twin of Kyouya stepped in front of the desk while glaring at the president, "You had the nerve of escaping duties recently, Giotto," he scolded.

Tsuna sighed, "Honestly Giotto-nii, you should stop because one way or another, we are going to find you," Tsuna looked at Alaude, "Thank you for the help, Alaude-san."

"Anything for him to get his head back to work. For someone who suggested starting the preparations for two events weeks early, he's always the one who escapes his duties," he said and left the office. Natsuki heard from Fran that the Vice President was not very sociable like his twin, and he only shows up when the need arises, a.k.a. on some meetings and when the President escapes his duties.

Tsuna then turned to the escapee, "You know, you shouldn't go around while your duties are unfinished," she scolded again, "And we have a visitor," she introduced, "Everyone, the new student, my younger twin, Sawada Natsuki,"

Yamamoto and the rest of them noticed the silence and the tongue tied Natsuki. Since his job was to take people out of their shock anyways as the cheery Sports Committee head, he decided to break his shocked trance, "Haha! Didn't know that Tsuna is a member of the SC?" he mused. "Well, now you know. I'm Yamamoto Takeshi by the way," he said.

Natsuki looked at the cheery black haired man. _'So he is the baseball star of the academy,'_ he thought. "Ah…um…"

"Baseball idiot, let him go. He gets worse when you are near. Your stupidity is getting contagious," lectured Gokudera.

Yamamoto just laughed, "Come on Gokudera, there is no such thing. Even I know it's not true,"

'_Gokudera Hayato? Is he really _The_ Smoking Bomb Hayato? What is he doing here in Namimori? Last I heard from Bianchi-san, he ran away and left the country a few years back…could it be that he moved here?'_ Natsuki's mind was racing. How the hell did a Mafiosi get here? "Smoking Bomb…"

Gokudera feigned surprise, and so did Tsuna and the others. He must not know, at all costs, that they were dead aware of the life of her brother, "Gokudera-kun, what is he talking about?" she wondered.

Gokudera continued the act, "Ah, nothing Hime-sama. He must have mistaken me for someone else," he said as he shot the boy with a shut-up-eye.

Giotto then stood up, "Well then, welcome to Nami-Private Academy, cousin, and long time no see," he then looked at Tsuna, "And I see you have already seen your sister in action. With her being the Secretary, I have nothing to fear,"

Tsuna pouted at Giotto, "That still doesn't give you reason to disappear every now and then," she received a sheepish laugh from the blond.

Then it registered on Natsuki, and his thoughts were proven when he saw something on his sister's left arm. It was the armband of the Disciplinary Committee. "Wait…if Nee-san is the Secretary of the SC…" he looked at Fran, "And on what you told me earlier about this Mediator person being the secretary of both power organizations…then…"

Tsuna patted her brother on the back, "Yup. I'm the one they call Mediator."

This time, Natsuki was really dumbfounded. Giotto could feel the reaction of the younger Sawada, and decided that the two needed their alone time. "Well, carry on with the work, the rest of you. Tsuna and Natsuki have some talking to do," he said as he shoved the two out of the office.

All he could hear from the room was some goodbyes and then the next thing he knew, they were at the rooftop garden located at the East Wing of the school. It looked like some kind of replica of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

"Took you a while to know what I am in the school," Tsuna said to him.

Natsuki grunted, "Well if you hadn't been the Dame-Tsuna that you were back then, I would have guessed otherwise," he stated.

Tsuna's face gave out nothing and kept on smiling, "Well, I have to make most of my life while you were gone. To hell with what our father does, I think I should at least become an adult. I have to step up if I want to do something with my life. I don't want anyone to dictate my life."

Something hit Natsuki but he paid no heed to it. "Wait until Dad hears about this. Another thing, Mom was aware right? Why didn't you tell either of us?" he wondered.

It was then when Tsuna's cold eyes lit up for a good five seconds. "I don't want that man to know. If he should, he should figure it out himself. That's what he gets for leaving me and Mom behind for work while taking you into his work escapades. I'm starting to think he's not working on oil mills after the last postcard he sent. It was a picture of the South Pole complete with penguins." She snorted, "Have you ever thought how stupid I would be if I believed that there was oil in that place? Please."

Natsuki laughed lightly. "That stupid postcard was merely a joke," he reasoned. "But Mom knew that it was a sign that he's just fine,"

Tsuna ignored that explanation, "Whatever. For me, he's just an ass who prioritizes his work more than his family. If he loves work more, then he shouldn't have gotten married to the most wonderful woman," she said.

When she looked at her brother's shocked and sad face, she shook her head and changed the subject, "So, what made you transfer?" she wondered as she looked at the flowers that grew there. She remembered when this was built for the beautification project of the school. Giotto gave the gardening club full reins on the greenhouse of the school. It really has been replicated into the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. "As far as I know, you are not in trouble that made you expelled there,"

Natsuki scratched his head as he tried to find an excuse. Clearly she wants a straight answer, but how could he when his real task was to find potential guardians? Although even though he already found potential in one Gokudera Hayato, he has a hunch that she will not let go of her friend that easily, more so on winning the loyalty of the silver haired teen. "Umm…well…it's kind of hard to explain…"

"I'm all ears," Tsuna urged. But she knew what his intentions are the moment she saw the letter last week about him coming back.

"He is looking for family members," Reborn suddenly popped out of nowhere and hopped onto Natsuki's spiky head. "Ciaossu,"

Tsuna greeted him with a radiant smile, which surprised Reborn nonetheless. "Oh, the baby you brought with you," she greeted. "I'm sorry if I snapped at you two last night. I was a little stressed out and there were a lot to take care of at that time," she apologized. She then looked at Natsuki, hearing that her guess was at the perfect mark. But to keep up with the act, she had to act clueless of the mafia world. "So, what is this about finding family members? You're too young to look for a wife, and I don't want to be an aunt at this age," she joked.

Natsuki sputtered at what she said, "Of course not! What you are thinking is wrong!"

"Then what is it? Reborn said that you are here to look for family members." She said. It was then when she decided to take the older sister approach. "Natsuki. Tell me, are you getting associated with the yakuza?" she demanded. "If not, are you associating with something that I will not be happy about?"

Then the bell rang indicating that the students have fifteen minutes to return to classes. Tsuna turned to her brother, still posing as a curious sister, "We will talk about this later. Get to class. I have free time today and I need it to work on the Student Council," she said and left the rooftop.

When the door closed, Natsuki sighed in relief. "Thank god, that was close! I thought I would end up spilling the beans on her!"

Reborn hit him on the head, "Baka. She has the right to get a hint, but I never thought she would be as closer to the truth," he stated. "Which makes it all the more fun," he added.

Natsuki stared at him in disbelief, "It's not amusing to me!"

Reborn sighed, "Your sister is more composed than you, I can tell," he said. "I heard about her when you and that Fran boy lead you to the office. A surprising revelation, I might say," he commented. "The Mediator of the power organizations...to think she was originally the secretary of the Disciplinary Committee. I bet she can fight if she holds that kind of original rank in her,"

"Yeah I get you," Natsuki replied. "I was surprised that Nee-san transformed into someone like that in the course of five years,"

"Which makes her somehow, the more likeable candidate for the title," he smirked.

Natsuki shot a look at Reborn, "Hey, I thought Ninth would keep her out of the mafia business if I should accept the title against Xanxus?"

"Oh yes, the Ninth did," he transformed Leone into a gun, "You have less than fifteen minutes to return to class or get shot with your Dying Will!" he shouted.

It was enough to see the boy to scramble and scream right out of the rooftop to his class three floors below.

Reborn watched his student escaping the point of his gun. It has been three months since he was assigned to be the official tutor of the Vongola heir, but he couldn't ignore the fact that his sister has something that he was interested in knowing. According to Iemitsu, the girl was timid and shy. But from when he met her, she had a headstrong attitude and a bit, if not, a lot of resentment towards the men in their family particularly Iemitsu. He has been interested in her more when he found out her reputation in the school.

Turning Leone into a phone, he dialed a familiar number. Three rings later, it was answered.

"Iemitsu here," the voice answered.

"We need to talk about your daughter," Reborn cut to the chase.

A grunt came from the other line, "What about Tsuna?" he wondered in a serious tone.

"She seems to be more than meets the eye," he informed, "Oh, and your information is outdated," he added.

"What do you mean outdated? Which information? Is it the house address?" Iemitsu said.

Reborn wanted to reach to the other line with a Leone Mallet. "No you idiot. I mean the information on your daughter is outdated,"

"That's impossible." He said.

"A lot can happen in five years Iemitsu," he stated. "I don't have much information yet, but if my impression on her improves, then maybe we have to undergo a change of succession," he suggested. "Instead of two candidates, there is a great possibility that it would be three."

"But that won't be possible unless she claims it, right?" Iemitsu said with a hopeful voice.

"You're right. But I don't think it would not be too long before she finds out for herself and decide to take the reins that was originally meant for her,"

…

Natsuki got to his classroom in record time, with two minutes to spare. There he saw Fran already in his seat, reading a book called, _Ways to Survive Your Weird Master'_ which he found rather weird. Fran noticed his presence, "Hey. Had a good time talking with Hime-sama?"

Natsuki went to his desk and grunted, "Why didn't you tell me that my sister was the Mediator?" he demanded.

Fran just kept on his bored face, "She said that it would be better if you find out for yourself." He replied, "Anyway, I ran into Hime-sama earlier, and she said that you could go home ahead of her. We have some things to take care of later," he informed.

Natsuki raised a brow, "I thought you were just in the Errand Committee? And why are you calling my Nee-san 'Hime-sama' when you called her Mediator-san earlier?"

Fran sighed as he closed the book, "Hime-sama didn't tell me that you are full of questions. Just because I am in the Errand Committee, doesn't mean we have more free time. There are complicated things that happen in the office, I can tell you that, and Hibari-san is not doing anything to make it _less_ complicated than it is. We call her Hime-sama because we want to. Even some of the prefects call her that. It was first instigated by Gokudera Hayato, a.k.a. Octopus head-san, and then we adapted to it as a sign of respect. She was the only one who could talk to Hibari-san properly, and she is the most treasured only female in the Committee. If someone even dares to step on her, either she would retaliate by blackmailing them or the DC _fixes_ the problem, if you know what I mean. The rest of the students only call her Mediator Sawada and the works, but never 'Hime-sama' because that title calling is only reserved for the ones in her inner circle, the prefects, if they want to, and her unwanted fan club. Her close friends still calls her Tsuna, except for Gokudera-san. The reason why I didn't call her that earlier was because you didn't know who the Mediator is yet,"

"Oh…" Natsuki managed to let out. Who knew that his sister had this kind of potential? He had to thank the person who talked some sense into her.

…

Meanwhile at the Reception Room, Kyouya sneezed loudly.

Kusakabe and Tsuna who were helping him sort out some necessary work. Well, Kusakabe that is, because Tsuna was busy with her own part of the work for the SC and half for the DC. She just decided that she would work there instead of the office because of the ruckus being made by her cousin and Kyouya's older twin on lecturing him about presidents who leaves their work when they were the ones who started them in the first place. And the word _ruckus_ was such an understatement in describing how the two _do it_. It was a good thing that no one comes to the office very much. Kyouya never bothered to bust them, since it would be troublesome and it would end up scarring his men for life.

So when the Disciplinary Chairman sneezed, the two others in the room were concerned.

"Have you caught a cold Kyou-san?" Kusakabe asked.

Kyouya grunted, "Don't be ridiculous. I don't get colds…" he defended.

"Cold! Cold!" Hibird chirped as it sat itself on a small cushion on the prefect's desk.

Tsuna then smirked playfully, "Then could it be the outcome of our _activity_ last night?" she asked innocently.

Kyouya flinched looked at her playful face. He had some suspicion that her way of misleading people was taught by Daemon. But then, her evolvement under him also attracted him to her. How long have they been together? Noticing that his guard was falling, he shrugged when Kusakabe gave him a disbelieving look, which he replied with a look saying that he is misunderstanding, "Still no Tsunarumi," he said.

Tsuna smiled as she turned back to her own work, "Hmm…then maybe someone is either talking or thinking about you," she guessed. "And I know it's not me,"

Kyouya just grunted and returned to his work. There was so much to do, what with checking some inspection papers of the things that the students use at school to make sure that nothing goes wrong. If there is somehow a change in the report, no matter how little, they had to make sure that everything goes smoothly.

Tsuna smiled at the brief vulnerability of the Head Prefect. He really taught her too much for her own good, but it worked to her advantage every time. When Kusakabe excused himself to go to the file room, her phone rang, "Hello?"

"Tsuna, it's me," Giotto's hoarse voice said. She could tell what had transpired of the _lecture_ with Alaude.

Tsuna smirked, "Did you enjoy your lecture, _Kaichou_?" she teased.

The blond man stuttered as she said that. "Um…you can go back now," was his only reply before he hung up.

Tsuna pocketed her phone and straightened out her files. "Well, their _lecture_ is done, so I should be getting back now," she bid Kyouya.

"Tsunarumi," Kyouya called, "Come here,"

Smiling, Tsuna went to the Head Prefect on his desk and leaned in. Kyouya took this chance to capture her lips by his. Tsuna loved the taste of the prefect when he was kissing her. Sure they hadn't progressed to a higher stage in their relationship because of their priorities, but their make-out sessions and dates make it all the while bearable.

Pulling out from the kiss with her cheeks a little flushed, she smiled brightly again. Kyouya looked at her with loving eyes that she only has the privilege to see, "I'll see you on Saturday for the Special Day then," he said.

Tsuna nodded as she went out of the office after one last peck on the lips of the prefect. Smiling to herself now, she wondered, what would his brother think if he ever finds out that he was dating the most feared prefect of the school…?

"Well, I guess I better prepare my camera when that happens," she said as she skipped happily to the office.

**An 18FEM27 right off the bat! So, what do you guys think of this?**

**REVIEW!**


	4. Possibilities of a Third

**It's been two weeks since my last update! Well, I was running out of time and money for internet, and my school year is started at June 4, and moreover, my Saturdays are now being occupied by CAT class for five to six hours a week! I don't know how the fourth years survive this, but I'm about to find out…**

**Chapter 4 Possibilities of a Third**

Tsuna arrived at the office with a sleeping Giotto on the office couch while Alaude was sitting on his desk, somewhat fixing things to cover their _trails_ from a few minutes ago. It was a wonder how Alaude and Giotto had maintained to keep their relationship under wraps from everyone. "I see you have cleaned up," she mused. In reality, Alaude was the Vice President of the Council because he is the only one who can keep Giotto in line, and the only one who can trace him in less than half an hour, like he did today. It appeared that Giotto was sleeping away at the garden of the school at the courtyard behind a large bush that can hide his form very well.

"I think doing it _roughly_ would remind him not to get out of our radar often," he said.

Tsuna looked at the tired face of her cousin. "I can see the logic, but you could have just deprived him of _that_ for a limited number of days like what Gokudera-kun does to Yamamoto,"

There was a hint of pink in his cheeks, and at that moment, he decided to change the subject. "I see the Sun Arcobaleno has already had some interest in you, Tsunarumi," he stated. "My guess is he plans on telling the Ninth to have three candidates instead of two once his interest on you escalates,"

Tsune frowned as she made her way to her own desk, "I would think the same, but I will not accept being a candidate, and you know that Alaude-san. We already have our priorities straight concerning that side of our lives. And I will stay by the choice I made years ago,"

"Oh, which reminds me, has _he_ already contacted you?" Alaude asked.

Tsuna shook her head, "Not yet, I'm afraid. _He _is having a hard time locating that person. I think it would be a few more days before he comes across that person, if he doesn't get into his contacts,"

Alaude shook his head, "I have no idea why you are putting up with that guy. He is too whimsical for my taste, and Kyouya despises him,"

Tsuna smiled, "Well, that is one of his best qualities, and besides, Kyouya hates almost everybody,"

Alaude smirked, "Touché,"

…

After classes, Natsuki took the time to go home immediately. Reborn had told him to wait home to discuss what had happened on his first day. There were a lot of surprises from his sister, and from the school itself. He wanted to get out of the territory as quick as possible.

"I'm home," Natsuki called.

Nana was at the yard hanging the washed clothes. "Welcome back! Did you have a talk with Tsu-chan?" she asked enthusiastically.

Natsuki looked at his mother, "You told me nothing because Nee-san asked you to, didn't she?"

Nana laughed lightly, "Well of course she did! She said that she wanted you to find out for yourself. You are old enough to know things on your own vices," she reasoned. "Reborn-kun is waiting for you in your room. I already brought snacks for the two of you,"

"Thanks Mom," Natsuki said as he ran to his room. He was yet to unpack some of his stuff, and Reborn ordered that they would unpack as they discussed the occurrences that happened in his first day.

When he opened the door, Reborn was drinking coffee. "You're home. You have some unpacking to do," he said as he pointed at the final two boxes which composed of his clothes and miscellaneous stuff. As he arranged them, Reborn began, "Your sister has become more intriguing than I seemed at first," he said.

"Yeah, well, Nee-san did ask me not to tell Dad on what she has accomplished over the past years," he said as he arranged his action figure collection in the shelf.

"I called Iemitsu after your rooftop talk,"

Natsu dropped his ten-inch Iron Man action figure, "You what?"

"Hold your horses Baka-Natsuki," Reborn interrupted his tirade, "I just told him that your sister is more than meets the eye, and that his information about her is outdated." He decided to drop the bomb, "And there could be a possibility that the Vongola would end up with three candidates instead of two,"

Natsuki couldn't believe what he was hearing. His sister had the potential to be the Vongola Decimo? His older sister was the sole reason why he decided to accept being a candidate, so that he could protect her from it. Now his tutor was saying that she had potential of being the Vongola Decimo? Flopping down on his bed, he stared at the wall blankly. "No…I went through all this just to protect her from the onslaught of the mafia!" he reasoned.

Reborn could see the sheer worry in his eyes. Tsuna was the main powerhouse of Natsuki's determination of being the Vongola Decimo, with hopes of protecting her from it. That was his main goal that the Ninth and his father had respected. All his life, he has seen his sister struggle and get bullied, and he was always to the rescue. He wanted to protect her more when he found out that the Ninth had chosen him as the candidate of Vongola Decimo. "I understand your worry, but let me finish. She would only become a candidate should she stake the claim herself, and if she finds out that you two were involved in the mafia the entire time," he informed.

"This makes it all the more reason why she must not find out…" Natsuki said.

"But she might, one way or another," Reborn reasoned.

"But-!"

"But nothing Natsuki," Reborn cut off, "She will learn one way or another, but when that time comes, it will be up to her if she will stake her claim. Do you understand me?"

Natsuki could only nod.

…

Tsuna stared at the photo in the SC office of her younger self and her twin, happily smiling at the picture at the beach when they were nine. She really looked too frail for her own good in the picture, while Natsuki's smile beamed. That was one of the times when she was still Dame-Tsuna back in elementary. She thanked the heavens that she had met Kyouya when she was in fifth grade, and by sixth grade, the moniker disappeared. All she could remember on her childhood was her being overshadowed by the younger twin, a father who rarely comes home, and the bullying and bad grades. It was a childhood nightmare.

Sighing, she didn't notice that Gokudera was calling her until he shook her shoulder. "Hime-sama?" Tsuna flinched at this, and her attention drew on the silver haired teen.

"Ah…what is it Gokudera-kun?" she wondered.

Gokudera made a concerned face, "We are now going to the Hibari residence for the meeting," he informed.

Tsuna shook the memory away and smiled, "Oh, sorry for spacing out. I'll catch up with you at the gates," she said as she stood up from her seat.

"Hime-sama, are you alright?" he wondered.

Tsuna smiled at Gokudera to erase his worry, "Yes I'm fine. I just had a little trip down Memory Lane," she admitted. That seemed to confirm the silver haired teen's suspicion. Ever since she heard that her brother was returning, she has sometimes been spacing out, and everyone had been noticing it. Her constant reminiscing had made her distracted and making her revert to the Dame-Tsuna that she was. Just three days ago, she almost fell on the stairs if it weren't for Kusakabe who saw her. To say the least, Kyouya had been furious about her carelessness. To hell with the documents that she carried while walking, he had scolded Tsuna for spacing out in the most dangerous times. Since then, the Head Prefect had told Gokudera and Yamamoto, who was in the same class as her, to watch her every move after that incident.

By the time she and Gokudera arrived at the gates, everyone was there except for the brothers who already went home to prepare for their meeting. They walked while chatting, and Tsuna tried to pay attention all the while. She had to block her sad memory on the back of her head. This was her world now. This was what she had worked for to get out of the pathetic life she lead four years prior. She has to prove that she doesn't need protection from anyone all the time.

Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the Hibari household—or mansion, because of their large house. Their parents were barely home, which leaves the twins full control of the house and the staff, which makes it a likeable spot for their extra line of _work_. When they entered the living room after being greeted by one of the maids, they saw that there were already five others who were there.

There was a man with red hair that looked identical to Gokudera, only he looked more mature and he had the same scowl like Gokudera as well. He was the nephew of Gokudera's birth mother, in other words, his cousin, G. Then there was a teen with dark hair and blue eyes. He was the younger brother of Yamamoto's mother, but surprisingly, he was just a year older than Yamamoto, because his grandparents had his mom early when his grandmother was about sixteen, and Asari Ugetsu came late in their forties. Next is the cousin of Ryohei and Kyoko, Knuckle, the former captain of his school's boxing club who quit after a match accident and moved to a Christian school, which Ryohei greatly admired. The one beside him is the older brother of Mukuro, Daemon Spade. The one sleeping on the edge of the couch was the big brother of Lambo with minty green hair, Lampo. He was only the same age as Tsuna.

Giotto smiled at them, "I see you are here already," he said.

"Sorry if we're a little late," Tsuna apologized.

Daemon chuckled, "Don't worry Hime, there is no harm done," he said.

Giotto turned to Lampo, "Hey, Lampo, wake up," he nudged.

Lampo grumbled and opened his eyes, "Ah…Giotto," he said as he rubbed his eyes, "Sorry, I hadn't much time getting some sleep after Lambo cried endlessly last night, and I tried to keep awake the whole class through. It was a good thing that Hayato was the one who sent him to school this morning," he said with a yawn.

Giotto smiled, "It's okay. Llambo had been accidentally at the wrong place at the wrong time last night anyway,"

G scowled. "Why can't the school just ask for security instead of relying on the Disciplinary Committee anyway?" he asked.

"Because the school can't afford it, and protecting Nami-Private is the job of the Disciplinary Committee," a stern annoyed voice answered.

Alaude and Kyouya came inside the living room in their normal clothes. Alaude was wearing a blue checkered polo shirt over a white t-shirt, and jean shorts, while Kyouya wore a purple shirt and cargo shorts. Perched on his head is a yellow ball of fluff named Hibird who never leaves Kyouya's side unless told to.

"I see you are all here," Alaude said. Kyouya's face showed indifference and a hint of annoyance, telling them that he was the one who answered G's question.

"Let's go then," Tsuna said as she followed the twins first before the others went with her. They came across the study of the house, and Alaude puled a book lever with the title of _The Art of War_, and the shelf was lifted revealing a corridor lit with fluorescent lights. They came down the stairs until they entered a chamber with the largest supercomputer money could buy, and a large table that can seat twenty-five people. At the other parts of the chamber, one could see numerous boards with tack marks, weapons, unfinished mechanisms and weapons.

There were already two people in the chamber. One was a blond haired teen with a sucker on his mouth, fixing up a small robot butler, named Spanner, and at the seat of the supercomputer was a red headed boy with glasses named Irie Shouichi.

"Hey guys," Tsuna greeted.

The two looked away from their work when they heard Tsuna's voice. "Ah, Hime-sama," greeted the red head.

"Nice to see you again, Hime-sama," Spanner greeted as well. As if on cue, the small robot he has been tweaking at opened a hatch on its stomach, and the aroma of lasagna spread through the chamber. "Lasagna, anyone?" he offered.

Tsuna smiled as she sat at the very center of the table, facing the supercomputer. "Sure, that would be nice,"

Spanner nodded and immediately, another robot entered, bringing plates and utensils and started bringing it to the table. "So, what have we got there, Irie-kun?" she asked as the others took a seat on both sides of the rectangular table.

The red head nodded and typed at the computer. It showed an insignia with the name of _Sentinella_ under it and asked for the password. "We finally got a message from Byakuran-san," he informed.

Tsuna flinched as she and the others felt the temperature drop several degrees. Their heads turned in one direction when a certain someone stabbed his lasagna. The vibe coming from the Head Prefect was casting off an irritated aura. Ever since Tsuna met Byakuran through Irie, he has been smitten by Tsuna and her cuteness, much to the irritation of her boyfriend. "Ah…c-continue Irie-kun," she instructed, because the moment the temperature dropped, he also went silent. It was a good thing Hibird chirped, "White haired bastard, white haired bastard!"

It made others snicker. It appeared its owner has been teaching him those. Tsuna hid her snicker, "So, has he already done the task I gave him?" she wondered. For weeks, she has waited for the contact of the teen in finding a certain person.

"Um…Byakuran-san said that he would video call you right about…" Irie looked at his watch.

It was then when the large screen beeped an incoming video call. The red head pressed he answer button and out came a sixteen year-old white haired teen with purple eyes in pajamas. "Hey Tsu-chan~!" he greeted.

Kyouya's blood began to boil in irritation. Tsuna sighed as she looked at the boy in front of her. She has met Byakuran in person two years ago after Irie came back from Italy from vacation, and Byakuran just tailed with him and he started hitting on her when he concluded that she was cute, which irritated a certain prefect, until he was _kidnapped_ home by his father, "What is it Byakuran?"

"I found Aria-san like you ordered me to do~!" he informed.

Their eyes targeted at him as they heard the news, "What? You found the Sky Arcobaleno and the boss of the Gigilio Nero?" Giotto said in surprise.

Byakuran nodded. "I found her using my contacts. You do realize that I rarely use it because of energy consumption. She was a little surprised that I ran into her. I guess it had something to do with my parallel selves," he said.

Everyone in the room knows of his ability of having the knowledge and memory of his other parallel selves. He had also shared a story where Natsuki doesn't exist, where she was the Vongola Decimo, and she was a he, that Tsuna's parallel self had incinerated one of them, and they all ended up powerless but they still get to keep their ability—but they can only communicate when they are sleeping, which explains the teen's pajamas. For another load, he can only use it on certain occasions because of the energy that is needed to do the communications. It would take almost a month before he could do it again.

"So, what has transpired in your meeting?" G. asked.

"Well~ we had coffee and she told me that I was finally rid of the Tri-Ni-Sette and World Domination mumbo-jumbo obsession, as if I'd fall for the same evil deed twice…I also informed her of the existence of _Sentinella_ as you ordered, and she agreed to lend a hand when needed,"

_Sentinella_ is a secret faction of Vindice whose main task is espionage. It has been around for a long time, made at the same time as the Vindice, but their name faded into history by their own preference, to avoid any suspicions of the organization. Since the emergence of Tsuna and her knowledge, added by her skills and inner circle, the Mafia police have wanted to recruit her and use her talents where the Vongola does not recognize her because of false and outdated information. For the longest time, Bermuda had some interest with her. Giotto and the rest of her friends became the new members of _Sentinella_, and still keep independent of Vindice to make sure that no one finds out about it. They left the organization into Tsuna's own vices after the former leader retired, and as of now, she was doing pretty well, and Tsuna was given enough power by the organization to the point of requesting the release of Mukuro and his group as a member of the growing faction. It goes to show that Bermuda has some trust in her, and Tsuna? She wasn't too sure to trust the Arcobaleno.

She has tasked the white haired Italian to locate Aria for future reasons, and for their aid in the name of the organization when needed. After all, one needs to pick the proper connections.

"Oh, and another thing," Byakuran said, "I got in contact with _that group _today as well. They said that they want to speak to you,"

Tsuna closed his eyes. So they noticed her. "I see. Well, give me their contact and I will talk to them. Keep doing the job Byakuran, and this time around, try to be in contact with the Cavallone," she said.

Byakuran smiled, "Anything for our precious Hime-chan. Bye~!" he said as he cut the call.

Tsuna sighed. It's beginning. "Well, that's one matter solved," she said as she took a forkful of lasagna.

**So, what do you guys think of this chapter? True it is a bit short, because this was originally meant for chapter 3, but I decided to divide it anyway. As expected of me, I won't around too much now what with school, and I have to prepare my application for an entrance exam in one of our country's high quality colleges, and I have until June 15 to submit my application and study by August 5. **

**REVIEW~!**


	5. Storm and Rain

**Well…the last chapter didn't go well, did it? **

**Chapter 5 Storm and Rain**

When Tsuna arrived at the house, it was already dinner time. Ever since becoming the secretary, she and Nana made an agreement that Tsuna will be the one to prepare breakfast, and Nana would be the one who would be in charge of dinner. It was an arrangement that they had agreed upon for almost two years. Back then, she was just a helper of her mother, and when Nana deemed her ready, she had been teaching her in cooking all by herself. Those were one of the few times that she has been happy when she was just a child, before and after her brother was taken by their loathsome father.

"I'm home," she called from the door.

Nana went out to greet her, "Welcome home Tsu-chan! Natsu-kun will be down in a minute, so go and get changed," she advised.

Tsuna nodded and followed her instructions. Although, when she got to her room, something was amiss. Her room had been tampered. Her window was opened, and she clearly remembered closing them before she left for school. There were also some ruffled papers of the SC and DC that was read and returned without organization. Tsuna seethed, tiredness and rage merging together, "Reborn…" she muttered. He was the only one who would have the brain to infiltrate her room. Good thing that she has her contacts with her at all times, making it futile for the Arcobaleno to look for clues of what she is in her room. Even if he flips the room, nothing will appear. But the fact that he made it so obvious, he must be trying to tick her off to an extent. And she hated it. To be ticked off by a mere baby...

But she knew better than to blame the baby. There was a balcony railing merging her room with her brother's. She will just have to take her annoyance out of him then. "_Sawada Natsuki_!" she shouted to the heavens, and she swears that it was heard by all neighbors.

In just a split second, Natsuki came running to her room. "Whatever it is, I didn't do it! It's Reborn's fault!" he pointed.

Tsuna pretended not to buy it. "I am dead tired with my load of school work as a double secretary. I don't have time to play whodunit at this time. Like a baby would manage to get into my room and rummage the documents of the SC and DC. You know better than to blame this all on a child!" she scolded. At the back of her head, she was cackling. If Reborn wanted so bad to find out what she is hiding, then she will have to make things harder for him. "I forbid you to enter my room without permission from now on, do you understand?" she said sternly.

Out of panic, Natsuki saluted to her, "Yes ma'am!" he said as he went to his room again, screaming, "Reborn!"

Tsuna closed her door and laughed. It was good to tease her brother from time to time. Shaking her head, she turned to her closet to get out of her uniform into her usual jean shorts and orange shirt. Call her tomboyish, but she feels more comfortable in that kind of clothing. Deeming herself ready, she went down the stairs to the kitchen, to find that his brother had just sat down, and there was a noticeable bump on his head.

"Natsu-kun! What happened to you?" Nana asked worriedly.

Reborn was the one who answered for him. "He bumped his head earlier."

Tsuna smirked at the little white lie. "It seems like you are as clumsier than ever, I see," she teased.

"It's not funny. I've been hit by a large mallet! I didn't bump my head!" Natsuki defended.

"Whatever you say," Tsuna said as she ate her rice. Blaming her brother was really worth it.

…

After dinner, Natsuki rubbed his bump, courtesy of his sadistic tutor. After he had went to his room after being called scarily by his sister, which he didn't know she possessed when pissed, he instantly accused Reborn, since he has never stepped on her room, ever. Well, maybe when they were younger, but not like now. Reborn explained that he was doing what he can to make sure that Tsuna has no hints whatsoever in the mafia, and to also gather some information to find some potential family members. He dismissed the talk after hitting Natsuki with a mallet for shouting at him with a useless reason, and said that they would talk about it after dinner.

"So, have you found those 'potential' guardians?" he asked.

Reborn nodded. "I already did. And one of them is the Smoking Bomb," he said.

"By the way, how did the Smoking Bomb ended up here? Bianchi-san did say that he ran away after finding out the truth," he recalled.

Reborn nodded, "When he ran away, Shamal took custody of him as his guardian, and both of them disappeared from the country. I didn't expect for them to go to a most likely place as Japan. I researched him through my bugs, and they said that he is now living in the house of the family of his deceased mother. It seems that Shamal's true intention was to send him there the moment he took guardianship over him," He said. "It seems that your sister knows her well for him to call her 'Hime-sama,'"

Natsuki flopped on his bed, "Now that you mention it, Fran said that the Smoking Bomb was the first to start calling Nee-san 'Hime-sama,'" he informed. "What could Nee-san have done to gain the loyalty of the Smoking Bomb?" he wondered.

It was then when Reborn began his suspicions again. Could the girl have something that Iemitsu had overlooked _again_ that had gained the loyalty of the brash bomb user? "Why don't you ask your sister?" he asked.

Natsuki glared at the tutor, "She already banned me from coming into her room because of you!" he complained.

"That's right. Well, there's always school," he said.

"She's always busy, and we aren't in the same class!"

"Sucks for you then," Reborn said.

A knock from his door was heard and in came Tsuna in her pajamas. "Can I come in?" she asked. Natsuki nodded and Tsuna entered in his room. "Sorry for snapping like again. I have been like that for almost two years now, and the force of habit is a little too difficult to exterminate," she explained.

Natsuki realized how stressed out his sister could be in his absence. With an escaping Council President and a bad tempered Head Prefect, it could make a normal person mad. Add to that, her duties to the school and her academics. He just had to add up with her stress. "I understand…and honestly, I have no idea who went into your room…"

Tsuna sighed, "Let's just forget that, but you are still banned from entering my room without permission," she said. "By the way," she started, "This morning, you called Gokudera-kun 'Smoking Bomb.' What do you mean by it?" she wondered.

This was his chance. "Um…well, I just mistaken him as someone else I guess," he lied. "But, why did he call you Hime-sama anyway? Fran said that he was the one who started that name calling on you," clearly Fran was a good asset for him.

Tsuna stayed silent for a few seconds, and then laughed. Hearing the laugh of his sister seemed to brighten him. "Well, it's a long story, but you're probably tired from all this,"

Natsuki grabbed his pillow and hugged it, "I'm all ears," he insisted.

"Alright," she said. "I met Gokudera-kun three years ago when I was in sixth grade. He was a genius by birth, but rather rebellious, with his scowl when he first came. I can tell that he has been through some things in his past like I did." Natsuki seemed to squirm, "He was three fourths Italian and a fourth Japanese. He really hated everyone on his first day. I met him at the rooftop and then he just scowled at me. One day, when I was on my way home, a group of thugs tried to kidnap me because they think that it would make Hibari-san appear and fight them,"

"Hold on! Rewind and freeze! You were already associated with Hibari Kyouya at that time?" he asked.

Tsuna nodded with a smile, "I met him four years ago, a year after you left, and he has been teaching me some basic martial arts skills, but I was still bad at it at that time," she revealed, "I was already his personal secretary along with Kusakabe-san, and they thought that by using me, they could fight him. But Gokudera-kun showed up and tried to save me," Natsuki was about to ask about it when she raised her hand, silencing him, "He managed to beat up three of six, and I fought the rest. We were behind an old building near the school and when one of them had done their last action, it was destroying the platform that held the bricks together. Of course, it was headed towards Gokudera, if I weren't there to push and save him,"

"Wow…" Natsuki said.

Tsuna smiled, "Wow indeed. But it didn't turn out smoothly," she stated, "Just because I pushed him doesn't mean that none of us got hurt," Natsuki dreaded her next words, "When I woke up, I was already in the hospital full of bruises. It had seemed that Hibari-san had found me a little too late, but not late enough to not rush me and Gokudera-kun to the hospital in record time. Since then, after saving him from certain death for the both of us, he has been telling me that he will be my loyal subordinate until the day he dies," she laughed. "But I said to drop that loyalty thing, because I only want to be his friend. But I let him call me Hime-sama because he insisted. I don't mind if he places his loyalty to another, as long as he stays as my friend,"

"Whoa…just for one life saving moment?" Natsuki said.

"Life is a precious thing Natsuki. You will just have to live your life, and stand up when you fall, and help others to preserve theirs." she said as she stood up, "Well, I better get some sleep at this time, or else I will have not much energy for tomorrow and Hibari-san will nag at me. Good night," she said as she left the room.

Natsuki stared at the closed door, and when her footsteps were no longer heard, he frantically pulled his spiky hair, "How can I top what Nee-san did to gain his loyalty?" he panicked.

"Calm down. We'll think of something." Reborn said. Tsuna's information was more than enough to make the teen as one of Natsuki's guardians.

…

Two hours before the start of classes, Gokudera went to the music room that has yet to be used by the students. It was always at this hour that he decides to play the piano, a skill that he has inherited from his mother. It has been a long time since he has seen her, at five years old, but at that time, he had no idea of his relation to her. The mere fact that he was not told of this sends his rage towards his father in an all time high, for not allowing him to be with his real mother. He shared the same hate as his Hime-sama when it comes to father relationships.

Sitting down at the grand piano, he began to play a melody that Tsuna loved the moment she got to watch _Howl's Moving Castle_ and Gokudera was more than happy to play _The Merry-go-round of Life_ for her.

Unknown to him, someone had heard it in the middle of the morning, and it was none other than the Sun Arcobaleno. He only noticed when he was done. "So this is where you have been all these years, Gokudera," he called.

Gokudera shot his head up and saw the baby at the door and stood at the piano, "Reborn-san," he said, "It's a pleasure to see you here," he greeted.

"So Shamal has been hiding you here all this time. I believe you are enjoying your time here,"

Gokudera nodded. "Yes. I have been able to live freely here,"

"But you can't run away from the mafia forever you know," Reborn stated. "I believe you have already met my student, Sawada Natsuki," he said.

He didn't need to be told, "So he really is the chosen one?" he asked.

"The Ninth and the External Adviser did the choosing. We are here to look for potential guardians," Reborn informed, "And I want you to be one of them,"

Gokudera was taken aback by the offer, but his thoughts drifted onto Tsuna, the one he has already sworn loyalty to. "I am honored that you recognized me…but I am already loyal to his sister," he said.

"Really? Because when Tsuna told me the history between the two of you through Natsuki last night, she said she doesn't mind if you place your loyalty to someone else, as long as the two of you are friends," Gokudera remembered her words exactly. He was her friend and nothing would change that. She doesn't need his loyalty since he already has her trust.

He decided on his choice, "I will give him a test to show if he really deserves my loyalty then," he said.

Reborn smirked, "Brilliant. Then you will meet him at the rooftop at lunch," he said and left.

By the time he did, Gokudera rested his forehead on the keys, creating an incoherent melody on the keys that has been pressed. "It's that quick, Reborn-san?"

…

Natsuki didn't know what he did to be on the bad books of the Academic Committee Head. Earlier this morning, he ran into him and greeted him, but he just scowled at him so suddenly. And he was too friendly yesterday at the Student Council office. But when Tsuna was the one who greeted him outside of his classroom, he showed his kindness and he could swear that he had sprouted dog ears and tail at the mere sight of his sister. Now that was undying loyalty. But his sister just takes it as a normal greeting. What does she has that he doesn't? Well, maybe there are a lot, but that doesn't mean that he could be kind one day and the next, he was giving him scowls and death glares.

So when he received a note to go to the rooftop at lunch, he didn't hesitate to meet the boy that has been sending him bad vibes since this morning. Fran saw the note that was left on his desk, and saw it in the handwriting of Gokudera.

"Wow, what did you do to get in the bad books of Octopus head-san?" he asked.

Natsuki sighed as he sat at his desk, "I have no idea, but why are some of the guys here sending me pitying looks?" he asked. Ever since that morning, some of the class has been staring at him like he was going to be fed to sharks.

Fran rolled his eyes, "A pure newbie," he said. "In this school, there are two reasons for the Academics Committee Head to hate a person," he held out his two fingers, "One, is that you offended Hime-sama, whom he is loyal to, and two, he just hates your face and wishes for you to go to hell," he explained. "But since the reason number two is unlikely, maybe you offended Hime-sama, and that he got mad at you,"

"But I didn't even do a thing!" he said.

"Then he really hates your existence," Fran had said.

It had not helped his worries over it, until Lunch break had come. He had gone to the rooftop just in time, not wanting to be hated by the teen even more. He was almost startled when he heard a cold voice from above.

"So you are the chosen Vongola Decimo,"

Natsuki turned to see him standing on a water tank with un-fused stick bombs on his hands. "Tch. You don't look much. I'd pretty much prefer if Hime-sama is the Decimo instead you," Natsuki became irritated, "But there is no turning back now. I will deem you worthy of your future post if you show me your worth of being the leader of a powerful family like the Vongola!" he said as the bombs were fused and thrown at the direction of the boy.

Natsuki was panicking, "What the hell are you thinking?" he said. "So you are really the Smoking Bomb!"

Gokudera just smirked, "Yes I am, and I don't see your worth!" he said as he began to assault him with bombs.

"Get it together Baka," Reborn said from beside where Gokudera was standing. "If you don't show your worth to him, you will die,"

"WHAT!"

"Die!" Gokudera said as he threw his dynamites towards him.

In just a matter of seconds, some bombs went flying on him and just before they exploded, he dodged it successfully, but left some dents on the floor. The Head Prefect will kill him. He needed to get out of there as quick as he can.

…

At the Student Council Office, Yamamoto came in and saw no trace of Gokudera. "Hey, where's Hayato?" he wondered.

Tsuna looked at him, "I thought he was with you,"

"Yeah, before he ditched me and disappeared without a trace," he said as he went to his desk.

"Maybe he got to meet someone somewhere. It could be important," Giotto said as he read through the files with his glasses perched on his nose.

"Kufufufu, that's unlikely since he despises almost all of the students here," Mukuro stated.

It was then when Fran came to the room, "Kaichou! Hime-sama!" He shouted with his deadpanned voice and face.

Everyone in the office looked at Fran, "What is it?" Tsuna asked.

"Octopus head-san is trying to kill your twin,"

"What?" Giotto snapped.

Tsuna sighed, "I think I know why…" she suspected. "Reborn must have tried to recruit him as a guardian, and Gokudera-kun is testing him right now…"

Yamamoto's face tightened, "I'll make sure the two are alright," he said as he stormed out of the office to find where Gokudera went.

Tsuna sighed, "Of all the days, why must Reborn start searching now when we are trying to get ahead of schedule in preparing for two events?" she grunted.

"The other Sawada does EXTREMELY realize if he EXTREMELY destroys a property of Namimori, he will meet Kyouya's EXTREME tonfas, right?" Ryohei asked.

All looked at Tsuna, and she sighed again, "I'll think of something should that happen," she promised.

"Huh? Are we going to stop them?" Fran wondered, going to Mukuro's desk.

"Kufufufu, idiot apprentice, of course not," he said, "The wheels have already started turning,"

Fran just tilted his head. "Huh?"

…

While evading the bombs and finding a safe place as to not ruin the school property (Fran told him the _severe consequences_ of destroying a property of the school), he began to find a way to get the loyalty of the silver haired teen. Right now, nothing was getting in his head. He had to figure out something fast!

If he was planning something, it must not be destructive that it will create a smudge at the school building, because as far as he knows, the Head Prefect will be seeking vengeance on whosoever ruins his school by taking it out on random students until he hits a jackpot. He doubts that his sister will be there to come to his rescue, because in his mind, even though she is the secretary, he will not tolerate special treatments.

He ended up in the back of the west wing, where several construction equipments were stocked for the maintenance of the said wing. "Crap! It's a dead end!"

"You're darn right it is," Gokudera said, blocking his only way out. Natsu cringed at that. "How can someone like you become the Vongola Decimo when you can't even show me your worth for that position? Hime-sama will be better off being a candidate,"

"NO!" he shouted, which seemed to take Gokudera aback, "My sister will not become the Vongola Decimo! I chose to be one to protect her from it!"

Gokudera smirked, "How can a long distanced brother protect her, you little twit!" he said as he threw his bombs at him, "This is over! Double Bomb!"

In just the nick of time, he managed to get a hold of a light plank and hit all the bombs towards the silver haired teen who cursed as he evaded, not knowing that a certain Yamamoto came at the bad time.

"Gokudera! So this is where you are," his eyes widened when he saw the bombs, but it was too late.

"Baseball idiot!" Gokudera shouted. Natsuki began to run towards them.

The next thing they knew, there was a large explosion, and Natsuki could only see black.

…

Natsuki grunted as his head spun in pain. The last thing he remembered was that he had grabbed the arms of Gokudera and Yamamoto and yanked them out of harms way in a split second before the fuse ran out, and then…nothing.

"Look! He's awake!" a voice said.

"Really?" a familiar voice said, as he heard light footsteps coming towards him, and held his forehead, "Natsuki? Natsuki can you hear me?"

Natsuki opened his eyes and he saw the face of his sister with a worried face. Behind her was the nurse getting out of the infirmary, "Nee-san…?"

Tsuna sighed, "Thank goodness…" she said. Then she went to scary sister mode, "What were you thinking? Taking that kind of blow when you know it could cost your life? Thank god your wounds are not worse than mine three years ago!" she scolded. "I found the three of you unconscious two hours ago, and I was beyond worried! You were bloody! What did you do to piss Gokudera-kun off for him to use his dynamites on you? He never uses it unless it is necessary!"

"How did you know about his bombs?"

"Of course I know he uses bombs! The Council is skilled in the combat department! Now tell me, what made you think of _risking your life_?" Tsuna demanded.

"But Gokudera-san and Yamamoto-san could have gotten hurt! I can't just allow it to happen! They're your friends!" he complained as he sat up. Pain shot his whole body as he noticed some gauze on his arms, face and legs. He was stripped of his uniform, leaving only his boxers. "What the…?"

Tsuna went back to worried mode, "Your clothes were tattered. It was a good thing that we keep spare uniforms just in case," Tsuna said as she showed him the parcel.

"What about Gokudera-san and Yamamoto-san?" Natsuki wondered.

Tsuna sighed and smiled weakly, "They're okay thanks to you, but Gokudera-kun had some serious cuts, and Yamamoto's arm is bandaged. You are in the worst condition out of all of them," she said as she looked at the arguing two.

"You idiot, what do you think would I do if I am the reason of your demise?" Gokudera lectured.

Yamamoto just smiled, his face had a small bandage, and so did his arm, but thankfully not in a cast. "Come on, you know that we wouldn't have lived if it weren't for Natsuki," he said and looked at their way. His face beamed, "Ah, he's awake!"

The two looked at the twins, and Gokudera ran towards the injured twin. "Tenth! Are you alright?" he said worriedly.

Natsuki tilted his head to the side, "Tenth?" he wondered.

"I apologize for the attack! I had to ensure that you are worthy! I now see my mistake! Please forgive me! Hime-sama, I apologize deeply for endangering your brother!" Gokudera said pleadingly.

Tsuna remembered hearing that before, although in a different phrase, "It's okay, no harm done Gokudera-kun,"

Natsuki agreed, "Besides, at least you two are fine,"

Yamamoto laughed, "I guess you're right. You really are something, Natsuki," he said gleefully. "Thanks for the save, I don't know what I'll do if my arm got broken than it is right now. The nurse said that if it had been in a worse situation, this would already be in a cast," he said as he raised his bandaged arm.

Natsuki blushed. It was the first time that he was thanked like that. Gokudera glared at Yamamoto, "And you! For being an idiot, no _meet ups_ for a week!"

Yamamto seemed to be terrified—no, horrified at that idea, in which, Natsuki doesn't get. "Hey, come on, it was just an accident! You threw it in the first place anyway,"

Gokudera fumed, "Two weeks!"

"H-Hey, calm down…"

"Three weeks!"

"A-Are you serious?"

"Continue talking and it's a month!" that threat had worked.

"What do they mean?" Natsuki asked.

Tsuna laughed at his purity of the subject, "Ah, Natsuki, you are still too young and innocent to understand," she said between laughs.

Gokudera then turned to Natsuki and held both his hands, "I will be your loyal servant and wherever you go, I go Tenth! I swear upon it on my grave!" Gokudera said. "Of course I will still be in service to you as well, Hime-sama,"

Yamamoto joined in again, "Is this some kind of game? You are playing the loyal right hand man again like three years ago on Tsuna," he mused. "Mind if I join in again?"

Gokudera shot back at him, "Shut up, and this is not a game you idiot!" he shouted.

It took Tsuna to clap her hands thrice to silence the two, "Alright, that's enough. You two have already skipped two periods. Return to class now or I will have to use my DC power on you," she playfully threatened, "Let Natsuki rest, and then you can come back after classes," she advised and stood up. "And you, mister troublemaker, rest and I will come and take you home later, and no protests, do you hear me?"

"But…"

"Do you hear me, Sawada Natsuki?" she said sternly. Natsuki only nodded. "Good," she then turned to Yamamoto and Gokudera, "Now, let's run along to class, shall we?" she said as she pulled the two out of the room.

Moments later, their sound disappeared, and Reborn appeared beside Natsuki with a smile, "You did well," he mused.

Natsuki grunted, "If I will end up like this every time I get a guardian, I don't know if my body can hold it,"

"You only have four more slots to fill up," Reborn informed. His student looked at him, stupefied, "You didn't just get a Storm Guardian out of Gokudera. You also got a Rain Guardian out of Yamamoto Takeshi,"

1…

2…

3…

"WHAT?"

Tsuna smiled her back leaning beside the door as she heard the shout of her brother. "Already have two guardians in the second day of school. Interesting…" she said as she walked away.

**Now I wonder what she's up to…**

**Take a good guess!**

**REVIEW!**


	6. Energetic Sun and the Elusive Cloud

**I'm sorry if I took a little too long to update. I have been busy lately and I have no internet at home. I'm just updating at a computer rental shop in our school. **

**A lot has been complaining why I gave Natsuki Tsuna's original set of guardians, so I will answer you right now. I have plans for the story that I am not telling you. This is just a step towards my story, and you will see why I did what I did soon enough. If you don't like it, then fine, I won't say another thing. **

**Now, on with the chapter!**

**Chapter 6 Energetic Sun and the Elusive Cloud**

Almost a week has passed since the whole accident, and Natsuki was now perfectly healed of his injuries. But the destruction on the wall of the west wing was going to be paid by him to get fixed. The moment Kyouya has gotten wind about it; he sent a search party to locate and grab Natsuki from class and was summoned to the Reception Room.

He had hoped that his sister was there to the rescue, but the Head Prefect had said that the compensation of the reconstruction of the broken parts of the west wing was suggested by his sister herself, instead of a harsh beating six ways to Sunday. Tsuna had said that it was better than multiplying his wounds that they had a hard time in explaining to their mother, only saying that it was because of a _small_ accident in the equipment room after Gym class.

As for how Natsuki will fix it, he has enough money in his own name to compensate for it, since the Ninth had a hunch that he would at least need it to clear some of the mafia traces all over Namimori. He couldn't have been more right about it. Tsuna never asked where the money came from, guessing that it came from their father, as long as it fixes the damage and the mood of the Head Prefect. He had no idea how his sister was still alive with this guy as her first boss in school terms.

In the course of less than one week, life has been a common living hell for Natsuki for the constant beat-ups by Reborn on his training. It wasn't helping when Nana and Tsuna believes it to be the Arcobaleno's way of _playing_ with Natsuki. At least it would keep them from worrying when seeing him being blown and shot at by his tutor. He has already gotten over the Dying Will Bullets months ago, since he can now emit the Dying Will flames on his own, but it didn't make him happy when Reborn remarked that they are still rather weak, to the point of comparing him to the Vongola Settimo.

After their class on Friday, while he was training by the lake, running with weights on his ankles, instigated by the sadistic baby, he thought that he was going to die of exhaustion. Stopping would end up with him either getting shot at by a gun or being hit on the head by the small baby. He had to go on or die.

He caught the attention of a teenage boy in a yellow tracksuit, jogging at the other direction Natsuki was running in. Both stopped as they looked at each other. Natsuki remembered him as one of the people who hauled Giotto into the office after escaping his duties on his first day of school. Maybe Reborn will not mind in talking to him just for a while.

"Ah! Aren't you Sawada-chan's EXTREME twin brother?" he asked.

"You're one of the student council members!" Natsuki confirmed.

Ryohei nodded. "I'm the co-head of the EXTREME Sports Committee along with Yamamoto, Sasagawa Ryohei! Handling that EXTREME Committee is no joke you know," he added. He looked at Natsuki and his weights. Are you EXTREMELY serious that you are running around with those heavy weights? You EXTREMELY surprise me Sawada-chan's brother!" he said with an energetic smile, "Come and join the EXTREME boxing club! I would be EXTREMELY happy to have you on the team!"

Natsuki was taken aback by his offer, "Um…no thank you, Sasagawa-sempai…" he declined.

"Onii-chan!" a girl's voice called out.

Both teen looked to the direction of the voice to see their respective sisters looking at them. That was when Natsuki's heart skipped a beat. At that moment, he had seen the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Sure some women and girls in Italy were maturing easily, and most are given with voluptuous bodies, but seeing the cute girl with orange hair and honey colored eyes, add to that her face structure, not to mention she was as tall as his sister proves to be the epitome of perfection in his view. But then reality kicked in. He looked at the white haired teen and the girl, to see that there was not much resemblance on the two except their eyes…

"Eh? She's your sister, Sasagawa-sempai?" Natsuki wondered as the two girls ran to their brothers.

Ryohei nodded, "Other Sawada, this is my EXTREME little sister Kyoko!" he introduced.

One close look at Kyoko made him conclude one fact. She was a complete goddess. It took a teasing look from his sister to snap him out of his head, "Uh…nice to meet you, Sasagawa-san, I'm Sawada Natsuki," he said.

Kyoko smiled at him radiantly. "Nice to meet you, and like Onii-chan said, I'm Kyoko, the Head of the Social Events Committee, but just call me Kyoko," she then turned to Tsuna, "The two of you really look a bit alike Tsuna-chan,"

"Other Sawada, you can call me Onii-chan like Sawada-chan since you EXTREMELY look like her!" Ryohei declared.

Tsuna laughed. "Thanks…I guess," Tsuna replied. "I thought you were playing with Reborn today? Where is he?" she wondered.

Natsuki stuttered. He had to make an excuse, fast, but then the baby just hopped on his head, "He was training with the weights on his ankles for some endurance dare," he explained. It was not far from the truth, but viable.

"Oh, I see. I never thought that you would take your time in just upping your endurance with a game, Natsuki," Tsuna said. Natsuki couldn't believe she was buying all the lies the baby spat out.

Kyoko then turned to her brother, "Well, since I already found you Onii-chan, shall we go home now?" Kyoko said.

Ryohei nodded, "You're EXTREMELY right!" he then looked at Tsuna with knowing eyes, "I EXTREMELY thank you for accompanying her today EXTREME adopted sister Sawada-chan!" he said as the two bid their goodbyes to the Sasagawa siblings.

"See you at school Nii-san," Tsuna bid.

When they were out of ear's reach, Tsuna laughed when she saw Natsuki blushing as he stared at her best girl friend. "Cat got your tongue, Natsuki?" she teased.

"Eh? What?" Natsuki asked as he looked at his sister who was wearing a teasing glance.

Tsuna placed her hands on her cheeks like a lovesick teenager, "Aw, my little brother is in love!" she said gleefully.

Reborn then looked at Natsuki, "She might be a good wife for you in the future," he commented.

Tsuna nodded, "True. She is the epitome of perfection, I would love it if she becomes my sister-in-law!" she said gleefully.

"Nee-san…" Natsuki said in disbelief face all red.

Reborn smirked, "See? Even Tsuna agrees," he stated.

"But…what about Sasagawa-sempai?" he asked worriedly.

Tsuna smirked, "I think Nii-san will be more than happy to have you as his brother," she said, "He is a little too simple minded, but he can give ideas of wonders and add to that, his personality is bright and sunny. I think he likes you,"

Reborn's eyes glinted. "A formidable bright sun," he said.

Natsuki got his message. He had just found his Sun Guardian.

Tsuna then turned to leave, "Well now, shall we get going? It's nearly time to head home," she said.

Natsuki nodded, "Yeah, but you go on Nee-san. I still need to get my things," he said as he pointed at his stuff some meters away.

"Okay, but be sure to catch up," Tsuna said as she went first.

As he and Reborn went on to get his stuff, Tsuna murmured that only she can hear, "Nii-san as your bright sun. You will get to see his worth once you get him in the path of the elusive cloud…" she said as she went off first. She smiled at the thought. Kyouya could not stand Ryohei, but somehow, Ryohei didn't stop bugging him even if threats were aimed at him.

In three minutes, Natsuki managed to catch up with his sister. "Hey Nee-san, have you any free time for tomorrow? Yamamoto and Gokudera asked me to go to the arcade. Want to come along?" he asked.

Tsuna smiled apologetically, "Sorry. My Saturdays are already reserved," she said. "There is something that I had started to do since three years ago,"

He tilted his head in curiosity, "What are you doing on Saturdays?"

Tsuna just kept on smiling, "It's for me to know, and for you to find out for yourself," she hinted.

…

When Saturday morning came, Natsuki got up at eight in the morning courtesy of a Leone Mallet, and it hurt like hell. "Get up. A mafia boss does not sleep in, even on Saturdays," he lectured.

Seeing that he was fully awake, he decided to get out of his night clothes and went downstairs at the kitchen, and saw her sister already up and ready, and eating breakfast. She was rather dressed up today, clad in sporty jean shorts showing her milky legs, and a purple and white hoodie with a hedgehog icon on the left side of the chest.

"Why do I always see you in a hoodie every time I see you in going out clothes?" he wondered.

Tsuna looked at him, "Hoodies are my favorite type of clothes," she said.

"Still not telling where you are always going on Saturdays?" Natsuki wondered.

Nana looked at Tsuna, "He still doesn't know?" she asked.

The boy stared in disbelief. Was he always the last one to know besides his father? "You know why she is always going out on Saturdays?"

Their mother smiled brightly, "Of course I do~!" she replied.

"I'll be leaving at two, and don't expect me to come home in time for dinner," she said to her mother.

Nana just smiled, "If you say so Tsu-chan~!"

Tsuna smiled and left the table and placed her plate on the sink, "I'll be in my room if you need me," she said as she left the kitchen.

Natsuki looked at her mother, eager for answers. "Mom, what are the two of you talking about?" he demanded.

Nana just kept her bright smile, "I am in no place to tell you that dear. Either she tells you or find out for yourself. Though I suggest not following her since she can sense things a mile away when on Saturday," she stated. "I got found out the first time she went out in less than three minutes," she admitted.

Natsuki could only wonder more about his sister's activities.

Back in his room, Natsuki pondered on what the two women could have meant on the subject. By three minutes before two, Natsuki began to stalk the entrance to the house, eager to see where his sister will be headed. At least watching her from the window could work.

"You know well enough to heed the warning of Mama," Reborn stated.

Natsuki was frustrated. "I can't help it! I can tell that it's something I won't like!" he complained.

"Then your hyper intuition is doing its job," Reborn replied plainly.

A minute before two, a motorcycle came to the front of the house. Natsuki and Reborn watched as it honked the horn. The rider was a boy, to be precise, wearing a green shirt under a white checkered purple polo and cargo pants, and white sneakers. His face was not seen, hidden by a dark purple helmet. Tsuna got out of the house hearing her goodbye, and got to the guy in the motorcycle. Not taking his helmet off, he gave Tsuna a helmet with a lighter shade of purple before the two left the street in a good speed.

"I wonder who that guy is," Natsuki wondered.

"Could be a friend, or a boyfriend," Reborn guessed.

Natsuki shrugged at that possibility. "Come on, if she had a boyfriend, she would have blushed back at breakfast. It's very unlikely,"

Reborn sighed at the ignorance of the teen, but then, he has no idea who the teenager is as well. "Well, your sister aside, you have already three guardians,"

Natsuki stared, "I already have three?" he wondered.

Reborn nodded. "Sasagawa Ryohei has proved that he is a potential Sun Guardian. I have a candidate on your Cloud Guardian though," Natsuki listened with interest, "A certain Hibari Kyouya has gotten my attention as the elusive cloud,"

The boy seemed like he was about to die. "Hibari-san? He refuses to be bound to anything in case you don't know! And with the way he looks at me after that incident with the West Wing, I would be dead in a minute if I try to recruit him!"

"Well, if you do it with Tsuna as the proxy in place of you offering him the place, it might be effective," he suggested.

Natsuki shook his head, "No, no! I am not involving Nee-san in this!" he refused.

"Idiot, you are already turning her friends into your guardians. She is pretty much involved as well since she relays their history with her to you, thus, enabling you to figure out who is a good guardian for the certain position." He elaborated.

Natsuki couldn't believe his ears, "Still, a big no! I will not use my sister as a way to get a good guardian!" he stepped out of the spot from where he is standing to prepare for the arcade. Gokudera and Yamamoto would be meeting him in half an hour.

Reborn inwardly sighed. If he keeps this up, he will never get a proper guardian…

…

Tsuna got off the motorcycle next to a café that is rarely visited by people. For one thing, she enjoyed the atmosphere of the café. The boy on the motorcycle got off as well and removed his helmet to reveal jet black hair and piercing grey-blue eyes.

"Are you sure that no one is following your tracks, Tsunarumi?" he wondered.

Tsuna smiled, "Nope. Relax Kyouya! No one is following us," she assured as the two got into the café. This café alone was the only café in Namimori that Kyouya would go to for their special confectionaries. Tsuna was a bit surprised when she first found out that he had a sweet tooth. Normally, someone like him must be fond of something greasy or strong in the palette. They were greeted by Hana who is working part-time as a waitress.

"Good afternoon Sawada. Table for two as usual?" she asked.

Tsuna was particularly fond of the girl with her friendliness and her strictness on things. She and Kyoko are close with her ever since their freshman year, and Tsuna was the one who had recommended the café as a good place to work on, "Yup,"

"Well, follow me then. Your favorite spot is unoccupied as always," Hana said as she led them to one of the farthest part of the café, liking the privacy. "So, what would you like?"

"I'd like some coffee for starters and your special cake today," Kyouya said.

Tsuna smiled at Hana, "I'll have strawberry milk and chocolate mousse cake," she ordered.

Hana nodded and left the two alone. Tsuna looked at her boyfriend, "So, are the construction done at the West Wing?" she wondered.

Kyouya grunted, "Yes, and not a day later. Seriously Tsunarumi, your brother is destroying the school," he complained.

Tsuna chuckled at him, "Come on, it was just a little accident. The destruction will lessen, and besides, he has enough money to reconstruct anything he destroys,"

Her boyfriend scoffed, "And you suggest that I shouldn't bite him to death?"

"Yes. He's my brother, and he is doing progress in getting guardians. I'd say it would be a waste of effort for him to die by your hands. Besides, should he die, the position will be directed at someone that will assure the fate of the family into ruins,"

"Then you have no qualms that he is taking most of the committee heads?" he said.

The brunette shook her head, "I don't mind at all. Remember, _Sentinella _can operate even if some of its members are in another family as my informants as long as I, as their leader, am not," Kyouya frowned. Tsuna knew that something was bothering him, "Kyouya, is there something that is bothering you about my brother?" she wondered. It was rare for him to frown and deep in thought about something on their Saturday dates.

Kyouya sighed, knowing that her intuition was a powerful one, and can sense unusual things a mile away, "For the past week, that baby has been following me as I bit some herbivores to death," he informed. Tsuna's eyes widened. The baby was quick. "It won't be long until that baby makes that herbivore brother of yours move on to recruiting me as his guardian,"

Tsuna frowned as well. "I see…"

The raven haired boy looked at his girlfriend with a testing glance. "What will you do if I accept the offer?" he wondered.

She sighed and answered, "It's fine with me Kyouya, as long as you stay out of death's door at a good range, what with the strong opponents that you will face in the future." She replied, "After all, I have no doubt that you will be the strongest of all of his guardians when the full roster is completed," she assured and gave him a radiant smile, "Besides, with that, you can protect me at a closer range," she stated. "Although I wonder what his reaction would be if he finds out that I am dating you,"

"Possibly, he'll go berserk like what happened to your cousin," Kyouya guessed.

"And if he ever dares challenge you into a fight?" Tsuna asked.

Kyouya smiled his genuine smile that he only gives to her. "Then I would enjoy if he challenges me because of it,"

Tsuna smiled, "I have a feeling you will," she said. Just in time, Hana returned with their orders. When she left, she asked her boyfriend, "So, where are we going next today?" the question was clear. She was dismissing their serious talk. It was a special day after all, and she would be damned if she let that issue ruin this day.

Kyouya gave her a rare knowing smile, getting what she is at, "It's a surprise,"

Tsuna could only smile in return. In public, he was a fierce demon with an iron fist, but in private, he was the kind and lovable person that only a few people, like her, could luckily see. A cloud refuses to be bound to anything and wants freedom most in the world, but when it comes to loving a person, that kind of trait is thrown out of the window for it does not cover it.

…

By nine in the evening, after dinner, Natsuki became frustrated. For the entire day, he had tried to get information on what his sister does on Saturdays. He tired to ask Gokudera, but all he said was:

'_I'm sorry Tenth! I had sworn not to tell of the things Hime-sama does on her Saturdays to my grave first! I apologize!'_

He was fine with that, since his loyalty had been to his sister first, so he asked Yamamoto next, and that too was a disappointment.

'_Sorry Natsuki. I can't tell that to you or I will meet my end,'_

Then he had his final option; his cousin Giotto. If anyone knows where Tsuna is on Saturdays, it was him. But his reply had optioned him to give up.

'_Tsuna made me swear to keep it from you. It would be my death if I ever tell. She prefers that you find out for yourself,'_

Well, he was right at that point. He just _had_ to find out. He can't just ask around about his sister after being gone for five years.

"Where is she?" he panicked.

Reborn wanted to hit the teen on the head, but he restrained himself. "You sound like a frantic father. Why don't you just wait for her properly?"

As if on cue, a sound of a motor was heard. Knowing that it was Tsuna, he took a peek at his window, careful not to get noticed. When the teen looked closely as the boy got off the vehicle and took off his helmet finally, his eyes almost left their sockets. The motorcycle guy was the Head Prefect, Hibari Kyouya.

At the front of the house, Tsuna took off her helmet after getting off of the motorcycle. She just had one of the best days of her life. After the café, Kyouya led him to the amusement park, a place that she loved personally, then to a motor crossing arena where he and Tsuna had playfully competed at, and then a picnic dinner by his favorite spot on one of the hills on the borders of Namimori where he always finds peace. It was really enjoyable.

"I had a really good time today!" she exclaimed.

Kyuoya smiled his genuine smile, "I'm glad you liked it. Next time, I will take you somewhere more special," he promised.

Tsuna smiled lovingly. Then she remembered something and rummaged into her bag, "I forgot to give this to you," she said as she handed him a small velvet purple box. "I got this for you yesterday,"

Kyouya took it and opened it, revealing a silver bracelet with cloud and Hibird-shaped charms. He smiled, "You certainly went out of your way," he mused which made Tsuna blush profusely. He then took out something on his pocket, and revealed it to be a velvet orange box. "Here," he gave it to the brunette.

Tsuna could tell that this was a ring. She tensed up as she opened the box and there revealed a silver band encrusted all over in real square-cut orange gems. At the back of it, an engraved phrase was placed. It read, '_My one and only Tsunarumi'_ Tsuna was shocked and looked at Kyouya who had a tender smile. This ring could have cost him a fortune! "K-Kyouya…" her face was slowly turning red.

Kyouya took the ring out of its box and placed it on her right ring finger as if proposing, "It's not an engagement ring. I don't plan on giving you one at our age yet. This proves that you are mine and mine alone," he looked at her with gentle eyes, "And I will bite to death anyone who dares harm or take you away from me,"

It was rare for the prefect to say such romantic words, but hey, at least he had some romance on him. With happiness, Tsuna hugged him tightly, wrapping her arms around his neck and smelled his lavender shampoo. "I love you Kyouya…" she said.

Kyouya smiled warmly as he hugged her back, "I love _you_ more. Happy Anniversary," he said.

The two pulled away, and Kyouya leaned into the face of Tsuna and gave her a searing but gentle kiss that he could give. Unconsciously, her hands ran into his hair and played with it, loving the soft touch, while Kyouya pulled her closer to him by the waist, earning a delighted moan from the brunette.

The two pulled away from each other, slightly gasping for air and looked into each other's eyes with smiles on their faces. Their moment was ruined when they heard a thump from the second floor. Both saw Natsuki's light still on, and they knew that the younger twin had found them out.

Smirking, he turned back to Tsuna, "You better get inside before your herbivorous brother challenges me here. I'll see you on Monday," he said as he gave her one last kiss and placed on his helmet. Tsuna watched her boyfriend leave until he was out of sight. She looked at the gemmed ring lovingly, and placed the box inside her bag for safekeeping.

Getting inside, she kept on smiling to herself as she got into her room, happy that her brother was not barging in to bug her about the scene he had just witnessed. She will just have to deal with him tomorrow.

**Well! Now that was fun to write! But I guess it's a little short and too fast paced for a date…oh well.**

**REVIEW!**


	7. One Objective

**Haha, a lot reviewed about Natsuki's reaction to the scarring scene (on his part at least)! Yeah, I kind of enjoyed writing that bit knowing some hilarity would ensue. So, I updated this chapter real quick!**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 7 One Objective**

Reborn's face was blank, but quite disappointed as he looked at his student whose head was spinning around as he fainted. They had just witnessed the reason why Tsuna goes out on Saturdays. It was because she was going out with the Head Prefect. Even he had no idea that the older twin's type was that kind of person. Other girls fall for the really popular and handsome ones, not the dangerous and intimidating ones. But Tsuna was not just some other girl, and that scene earlier proved it.

"My…my sister…" Natsuki muttered.

Reborn liked the sight of his student in his stupefied state. "So she was dating Hibari Kyouya after all. That makes it easier to make him your guardian," he informed.

At that statement, he got back to his senses. "No! I won't accept that bastard as my sister's boyfriend! He must have manipulated her with hypnotism!" he guessed stupidly. "I will see for myself if he is worthy of Nee-san!" he then stopped, "Scratch that, I will _never_ deem him worthy of Nee-san!"

Reborn just stared. It seems he has forgotten about recruiting the prefect as a guardian. But then, he was a brother, and it's only normal that he becomes overprotective of his sister whether he is the older one or not. Even though their mother has approved of the relationship, the same cannot be said of the younger twin. The brother and father are always the overprotective types when it comes to the sister and daughter dating a boy, especially if the said boy is the most feared teenager in Namimori.

Fishing out his phone, Natsuki dialed a number. A groggy voice answered it three rings later, "Ugh…Tenth? Why have you called at this time?" he wondered.

Natsuki growled, "So the _super secret_ thing that my sister does on Saturdays is going out with THAT BASTARD HIBARI?"

Gokudera somehow woke up completely on the other line, "Forgive me for not telling! Hime-sama forbade me to do so, knowing that that would be your reaction," he apologized.

"Since when did this happen?" Natsuki demanded.

"Three years ago Tenth," he revealed. "By the time I came, they were already in a relationship. The only one who knows the entire story is Hibari's right hand, Kusakabe Tetsuya. That is all I know," he confessed.

Calming himself down, he heaved a long sigh, "It's alright Gokudera. I understand…I'm sorry for waking you up with my tirade,"

"It's fine Tenth, no harm done," Gokudera said.

"Goodnight then," he said and hung up. Hibari Kyouya was now on his death list.

…

The next morning when Natsuki went down from breakfast, he heard Nana squeal in delight. When he came to the kitchen, Nana was fussing over the ring on Tsuna's finger, "Oh my! Such a romantic boy! It's better than an engagement ring~!" she said with delight.

Tsuna smiled in return, "It's like a promise ring, but this is more of a…um…a property ring,"

"But still he has put some effort in that ring! It's one of a kind!" Nana complimented, "I'm quite jealous~ I wish your father had done the same to me when we were still dating~" she wished.

Tsuna wanted to say, _'…don't count on it Mom…'_ but she said nothing and continued to smile.

Natsuki glared at the ring. It did look like it costs a fortune. "What is that?" he asked looking at it in horror, the thought of the Head Prefect becoming his brother-in-law plaguing him.

Tsuna looked at him, "Don't be like that Natsuki! It's just an anniversary present,"

"An anniversary present from the scariest man in Namimori! How could you keep something from me like this?" Natsuki complained.

His sister rolled her eyes, "Come on, you already know since last night. Like Kyouya and I didn't hear a thumping sound from your room when he drove me home," she busted.

"Because he dared kiss you!" he spat out.

Nana laughed, "Aw Natsu-kun, it's only natural for them to do so,"

"No! I will not accept him as your boyfriend! Never!" he protested.

"Sucks for you then," Tsuna replied. "My relationship with Kyouya has been going on for three years, and you have no right to protest when you weren't there to witness what we have gone through," she informed. She could tell that she would only escalate his hate towards her boyfriend, but seeing his enraged face was picture perfect.

Natsuki growled as he stomped back to his room after grabbing a toast. "That's it! Tomorrow, I will challenge Hibari Kyouya into battle!" he swore as the door slammed shut.

Reborn looked at Tsuna, "Congratulations," he said, "But it's a great wonder how you managed to restrain him," he mused.

Tsuna merely smiled, "That is a secret that I would take to my grave," she said. "But don't you tell anyone, Reborn. The only ones who are aware of this are the Student Council and the Disciplinary Committee, and every one of them is sworn to secrecy for a reason. Can you promise me that?" she asked looking straight in his eyes.

Only brave people can manage to look at him directly in the eye, but Reborn could tell that she was really pleading on not to tell anyone of her relationship with the prefect, preferably not Iemitsu. It would be hard if he made an enemy of the enigmatic girl. "Of course, your secret is safe with me, but I don't know about your brother,"

Tsuna looked at the visible set of stairs, "Oh, he'll get over it. I'll talk to him," she assured. "Drama queen," she murmured.

…

Tsuna knocked on Natsuki's bedroom door, "What is it?" Tsuna opened the door and saw her brother playing computer games. Natsuki looked towards his door to find his sister, but he still carried his frown. "Is there anything you want?" he asked.

Tsuna sat down on the bed across the computer, facing her brother. "Are you still in too much shock of my boyfriend?"

Natsuki sighed, "Come on Nee-san! There are a lot of people in the world that you could go out with. Out of millions of people out there, you pick someone as scary as a devil," he complained.

Tsuna smiled weakly, "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," Natsuki realized that he had hurt her and he felt guilty instantly, "But Kyouya is the most important person in my life, Natsuki." she explained, "He was the one who helped me get a life and leave the moniker that the little _imps_ gave me back when we were kids," she explained. Natsuki doesn't know if he was one of those _imps_ she was talking about. "He was the one who changed me,"

Natsuki looked at her, "How…how did the two of you met?"

Tsuna saw the interest of her brother, "It's a long story, but the first thing that happened is that I was alone on the park swing, trying to pass the time, until he had come across me, asking why I am not crowding in with the other kids at the playground. I told him it's pretty useless because no one wants to play with me, because I was 'Dame-Tsuna.'" Tsuna laughed, "He lectured me not to think like that because he could sense that I was different. When I went on my way home without knowing his name, guys in black tried to kidnap me, but Kyouya was there to save me. When I thanked him, he offered me that he would make me stronger than any of the useless herbivores in Namimori, and I agreed. A year later, he asked me out, and we became a secret couple. The only ones who knew it first were Mom, Yamamoto, Nii-san and Kyoko-chan."

Natsuki knew someone was missing, "What about Giotto-nii?"

Tsuna laughed loudly, which surprised Natsuki, "I didn't want him to know at an early stage and he only found out three months later. He went ballistic when he found out and started cursing in Italian."

"Oh…" he managed to let out. Giotto was a little _too fluent_ in Italian, given his blood.

Tsuna then shook her head after realizing that she was getting off track, "The thing is Natsuki, I'm not asking you to like him instantly," she said as she stood up and took her brother's hand, "I know it might take some time for you to accept him, but _please_, can you promise me not to tell this to anyone you come across to in school? Only my friends in the SC and DC know about this relationship," she pleaded.

Natsuki could see that his sister was serious about it. He knew that this information would destroy Kyouya's and Tsuna's reputation that could lead to creation of rumors. It was not going to be a pretty sight, he guessed. "Um…yeah…" then he looked at his sister, "But I'm still going to challenge him!" he said, his energy returning.

Tsuna laughed as she let go of his hand, "I would like to see it with front row seats," she said as she left. Natsuki doesn't know if that the hidden statement there was either she would be amused by the fight, or she would be amused with him being defeated by the Head Prefect. Either way, he prefers to challenge him one way or another.

…

Fran could tell that Natsuki was in a bad mood the moment he entered the classroom. Tsuna had warned him of his little temper earlier on the phone. Of all the classmates they had, Fran was the closest to Natsuki right now.

"Whoa, what's with the mood?" he asked.

Natsuki growled as he sat on his desk, "I just found out what my sister does on Saturdays…" he seethed.

"Ah. So you found out already," Fran said.

Natsuki grabbed his shoulders and shook him violently, "Why didn't you tell me of that fact?"

Fran was a little dizzy right now, but he managed to answer, "All of us are sworn to secrecy the day we all found out about it. Should the student body figure it out, there would be hell," he informed. "Hibari-san and Hime-sama will not stop until they find out who would be the unlucky one who would reveal that sacred secret,"

Natsuki released Fran and sat back down and buried his face in his arms, "Of all the people in the world…why him…?" he muttered.

Fran patted his back, "It's alright. You, Octopus head-san and Kaichou shares the same opinion, and their reactions were a sight to see. On Kaichou's case, he recited all curses in Italian from A to Z, while Octopus head-san fainted," he mentioned. "And that is one of the two situations that he would faint,"

"What's the other one?" he wondered.

Fran shrugged, "He won't tell anyone," he explained. "But if it's something he doesn't want anyone to know, it's bound to be embarrassing," he mused.

"Hold up, we're getting off track here…" Natsuki said.

"Then what are you aiming for?" Fran wondered.

"I want to _challenge_ him." he pressed.

Fran seemed to get the message. "Oh I get it. If you want to meet your death, then go to the Reception Room or the rooftop at the North Wing. He's usually there for his nap,"

That was enough information for Natsuki.

…

Kyouya yawned as he waited for the younger twin to show up at the North Wing rooftop when lunch break came. It was a good fifteen minutes later when the door slammed open, revealing the twin of his girlfriend with blond spiky hair. Sometimes he thinks that the hair was a genetically altered hedgehog perched on his head. "It took you a while to get here," he mused.

He wanted to laugh at the angry expression of the kid, but his personality went against it. Instead, he just looked at him with a passive face. Natsuki glared at him, "I challenge you to a fight, Hibari!" he declared. "You are not suited for my sister!"

Kyouya twitched as he got up from the cold floor, a feel that he always liked on his back. He smirked at the blond, "What gives you the right to tell me that I am not worthy of Tsunarumi?" he asked.

"I'm his brother, and I do not accept you to be in a relationship with my sister!" he said as he placed on his metal gloves.

"Hn. You are just a mere herbivore that can't accept the fact that you sister is growing up faster than you, am I right?" he said as he took out his tonfas. "Very well, you better be a worthy opponent. I will bite anyone to death whosoever tries to take Tsunarumi from me," he said as he attacked.

…

Earlier, Tsuna had a bad foreboding at the back of her head. She had been distracted again, a habit that has been frequenting her recently when something she wouldn't like would happen, or something troublesome would occur. Either way, she knew this feeling had something to do with Natsuki. Fran had reported to her that Natsuki had been in a bad mood when he came into the classroom this morning. Tsuna didn't want to bother Natsuki in getting up early, since she arrives two hours early to prepare things in the two offices. That would be considered ungodly in the books of her younger brother.

Then from a distance, at the North Wing rooftop that can be visible from the open window behind her, she heard clanging metal that can only come from the tonfa of a certain Head Prefect. When she saw the railing, a blond head became visible at the fence and she knew from the spikiness of it, it was Natsuki.

Tsuna went pale. Her guess was right. Kyouya and Natsuki were fighting over her. Well, not like it didn't happen before, the first was when Byakuran started hitting on her, and then it was Mukuro. But the fact that her brother was fighting to prove that Kyouya is not worthy of her is a new issue, and a new excuse to challenge the prefect in battle. She knew it will not go well for the two of them.

Tsuna abruptly stood up, catching the attention of the ones in the office. "Oya, Hime, what has gotten you all jumpy?" Mukuro asked.

"Are you alright Tsuna?" Yamamoto wondered.

Tsuna kept on looking at the North Wing rooftop. The moment he saw Kyouya getting slammed at the fence, she ran out of the office, shocked eyes of the Council members following her until her footsteps were not heard anymore.

Giotto observed the window Tsuna was looking at and saw the answer to the problem, "It seems that Kyouya and Natsuki are fighting," he said.

Gokudera's head snapped up from the file he was reading, his glasses hanging barely on the bridge of his nose. "What? Tenth and the bastard?" he said in shock.

"He didn't accept the fact that Tsuna is dating Kyouya, that's for sure," Giotto stated.

The silver haired teen sighed, "And Reborn-san told me this morning that Hibari would make a good Cloud Guardian for Tenth. I could only wonder what would transpire from their fight…"

"Hibari wants to EXTEREMELY keep Sawada-chan, while the younger Sawada EXTREMELY wants him to keep _away_ from Sawada-chan,"

Kyoko nodded in agreement. "Tsuna-chan had told me that Natsuki didn't take it well when he caught the two of them together when Hibari-san drove her home last Saturday night…"

"What did Tsuna see in Hibari anyways?" Yamamoto wondered.

Giotto was the only one with the answer, "The same reason why I fell for Alaude," he answered. The whole office knew of his secret relationship with the Vice President, but none of them knew the reason why as well. There are a lot of aspects that can describe the Hibari twins, but only a few can pinpoint some of the overlooked traits of the two and one of them was Giotto and Tsuna.

When Tsuna got to the rooftop, she stayed in front of the door, hearing the clangs of metal and the hits on the flesh. She could faintly hear the movement of their bodies fighting roughly for the other's demise. She peered into the small light that the door had provided.

Natsuki managed to dodge the tonfa that had been aimed at him by sidestepping, missing the weapon by an inch. Natsuki noticed that the other was coming for his face, so he jumped out of the range of the tonfa.

By now, Kyouya's shirt was a little soiled, but on the other hand in his case, there were already scratches that were made by the tonfa and the impact of his kicks, and the sole marks were proof of that. Natsuki was panting hard, while Kyouya remained passive, but breathing softly for air.

Natsuki was mad right now. He was panting hard while the prefect barely lost his breath? He was not going to accept this.

He was about to attack again when Kyouya stopped and lowered his tonfas. He could tell that Tsunarumi was behind the door. He could also tell that her younger twin, in his annoyance with him, did not even try to reach into his intuition to figure out that someone else was in the vicinity.

Natsuki growled, "Why did you stop?"

"Hn. I have no intention of wasting time on people who has Sister Complex," he said bluntly.

Natsuki twitched. "Are you giving up?" he said.

Kyouya looked at him blankly, "I do not give up. I'm getting bored in fighting you, though I do compliment you in landing some hits on me," he praised. "I am only talking too much for now, and I don't want to repeat what I say. Why are you against me and my relationship with Tsunarumi?" he asked.

Natsuki was taken aback by the answer. "Because…you don't deserve her," he said. Kyouya raised a brow, a sign for him to elaborate, "My sister is one of the nicest people in the world next to our mother. Even though she had hated Dad for neglecting her in place of me, she never held a grudge against me. I want her to be with a person that is well suited for her and someone who would protect her when I can't reach her in time." he said.

Kyouya smirked as he leaned on the fence, "Do you even realize in that thick head of yours who you are talking to, Sawada Natsuki?" he asked. The boy stared at him, "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't see your sister alive by now,"

Natsuki's eyes widened in disbelief, and now, Tsuna knew that he was going to tell him what really happened the day after they met. "What do you mean?"

"I believe that Tsunarumi has told you on how we met, correct?" the blond boy nodded. "A day after that, a group of thugs had been following Tsunarumi, calling her a Vongola," he started. He could see that he was starting to tense. "I know the Vongola because my grandfather was a former Yakuza boss. We come from a long line of tycoons both in the business and the underground society. But don't worry, I told her nothing about it," he lied. Of course, he had to make Natsuki think that she is still oblivious in the mafia. "I saved her, but I know that I could not save her always, so I taught her how to fight."

Natsuki couldn't believe what he was hearing from the prefect, but he decided against interrupting him. "I was always the one who spends more time with her, and with her kind personality that I rarely see in people, it attracted me to her. I vowed that day that I would never ever let her be in harm's way. But I realized that I couldn't do it alone. I realized that when the mafia has confirmed that she is related to you." Natsuki shivered at the cold stare. "Gokudera Hayato saw Tsunarumi in trouble after seeing that she was being kidnapped by men in black suits. He came to her aid when I couldn't be there fast enough. They were from an enemy family of yours, and she ended up in the hospital because she saved a herbivore she barely knows."

"Gokudera…" Natsuki muttered.

"Of course, to keep her oblivious, I lied to her. I told her that those people were only after her to make me come out and fight them myself. Since then, I knew that I had to protect her, and so I gave her the confidence in making acquaintances that are strong enough to protect her wherever she goes, but I stay distant to them because I don't like it when I see crowding." he continued. "I trained her more and more so that she could defend herself and not look like a total herbivore that needs her comrades to fight. And I swore to her that I would bite to death anyone who would and will try to harm her."

Natsuki registered all of his words slowly. His father was right when information about his sister has been leaked a few years ago. How could he not trust his intuition back then? He was such a complete idiot.

"Now," Kyouya interrupted his thoughts, "Do you still think that I am not worthy of her, Sawada Natsuki?" he asked. "Because if not, have it your way. I have one objective and one objective only. That is to protect her until the day I die," he declared.

Natsuki could see it now. He loved his sister to the point of risking his life for her, while he, the younger twin, would risk his dream and future, and become a mafia boss to protect her from their onslaught. Their objectives were the same.

"You would make a brilliant Cloud Guardian, Hibari," he said. "Would you become one?"

Kyouya smirked. "You must know, I don't follow orders from herbivores," Natsuki was despising him again. "But…" he looked at the clouded sky, "If it is what it takes to protect Tsunarumi, and you get yourself stronger, I might consider. I want to bite to death the strong people who would dare harm her,"

Tsuna smiled as the two silently reconciled. Her worry was leaving her. She retracted from the door and hurried down before Natsuki could notice that she had been watching. Looks like Natsuki got himself his fourth guardian. And the fourth guardian is none other than the Head Prefect.

**Whoa, that was a little fast, don't you think? Well, things are in a rush in my place right now, and I figured I update quick and get on with the plots…**

**REVIEW!**


	8. Student in Disguise

**Now that Kyouya's done, it's time for the last two! Well, take a good guess who's next by the title. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 8 Student in Disguise**

After that incident in the rooftop, Kyouya had sent Natsuki running to his classroom if he doesn't want to get bitten to death endlessly. Of course, as a Sawada, he was scared straight for his medical bills and permanent record, which the prefect holds a copy of in his office. He was not the type to get all goody-goody after some confrontation about his girlfriend towards the said girlfriend's twin brother with Sister Complex.

To say the least, when Tsuna heard it the moment she got home for dinner, Natsuki had been given by Tsuna something that he had been missing since they were kids. She has enthusiastically jumped in delight and gave him a suffocating hug. "I knew you would make peace with him~!" Tsuna said, letting out Nana's enthusiasm that came from her genes.

Natsu struggled to get some air on his lungs at the hug of his sister. He could tell that the trainings with her boyfriend paid off wonderfully. No wonder there weren't any more bullies after her, "N-Nee-san…can't breathe!" he said.

Tsuna noticed that he was turning blue, so she let him go. Happy about the temporary cease fire between Kyouya and Natsuki was an understatement. She was elated that the two decided to cooperate with one goal in mind. "Sorry~!" she apologized. Natsuki swore that she was becoming the copy of their mother with her enthusiasm on some things. "Well, it's good that you had a cease fire, but don't go and challenge Kyouya every now and then, or you might end up in the hospital, and I am _not_ exaggerating," Tsuna could only remember how many people Kyouya had sent to Namimori Hospital every week, because they dared break school property, broke some rules, or better yet, instigate bullying on Tsuna before she was known to be the secretary of the Disciplinary Committee back in the first semester of her freshman year in high school, and she didn't want to remember how many went to the infirmary when she was in fifth and sixth grade.

Natsuki cringed at that information. "Thanks for telling me," he said in return.

Nana clasped her hands, "Aw~ Natsu-kun now acknowledges Kyou-kun~" she said gleefully.

Natsuki just stayed quiet the entire dinner. Clearly he did not want any blood to be spilled from him and his sister's boyfriend, but he swore that if he dared hurt her, the bastard would get it eventually.

…

There are a lot of things that Natsuki hated, and one of them is getting chosen as a double participant in the upcoming Sports Festival. Hana was now in front of the class for Homeroom, and are deciding who will play in the baseball game. _He_ just had to be chosen as their captain, having a history in baseball when he was in Italy. Add to that, he also had to play men's volleyball. It's not that he is scared to play. He was just scared because he was going to go against Class 2-A, which is the class of the baseball jock, Yamamoto Takeshi and other sports prodigies. Add to that, it was also the class of Tsuna, Kyoko and Gokudera. Sometimes he wished that he was placed in that room instead, but then, Fran is good company. He was actually quite reliable, although he is usually deadpanned and he never saw him smile.

There was one time when he was hit by a soccer ball at Gym class; he didn't even flinch as if he is immune to pain. He just rubbed his head and took revenge by hitting the perpetrator in the face with the ball. Reborn had said that he could be a potential guardian, but Natsuki voted against it. According to Fran, he was from the mountains in a small country and only had his grandmother to live with, but the moment he met a person he called _Shishou,_ he had moved to Namimori last year as a freshman student. He could only wonder who this _Shishou_ is. He looked so innocent in things, so he decided against making him a guardian. Besides, what guardian could he be? Thunder doesn't cut it, Mist? Not so. He's no illusionist.

"Hey Kurokawa-san," Fran called Hana. He forgot he was the vice, "Isn't it a little too sudden for Natsuki to participate in two events? He's just a newbie," he wondered.

Hana stared at him, then at Natsuki, "Well Sawada, we have a rule here that if you can play two sports, then participate. If you are scared to fight the big shots in the sports department, Kaichou has placed a rule that the members of a particular club is only allowed to coach their classmates in their field, but they can't enter on the sport that they are members of. The Student Council is not allowed to join as well, since they are the ones who will watch over the events," she explained, "But even though that is the rule, there is a chance that Yamamoto will coach them and to add salt to the wound, Gokudera will be assisting their class' sports trainings on the boys."

"Big Whammy," Fran commented, earning a glare from Hana.

Hana then turned back to the class, "As for the girl's volleyball and soccer, we better step it up because their trainer will be…Sawada Tsunarumi,"

Natsuki's head shot up, "What? Nee-san is the coach for those two sports?" last he knew, she was horrible in sports. But considering that her boyfriend trained her, the improvement in the sports department is possible.

"She went to camp last summer and trained there, so yes, she can play and coach," Hana stated. "As for other sports…"

Natsuki didn't bother to listen to the rest. He was already contemplating on how to win the two events he was placed on as it is. Why did he have to be like this? Life sucks.

"Don't worry about it, we're not aiming for the first place that much," Fran said as they were walking to the cafeteria for lunch break. "Though Hana-san is not that enthusiastic in learning that Hime-sama is in volleyball and soccer. She said while she was in summer camp, those two sports were her main activities," he informed.

Natsuki looked at Fran, "Where do you get all these?" he wondered.

"I pick up a lot of things on the way," he said plainly.

Natsuki then pointed at the bonnet, "By the way, I have been meaning to ask, what is it with your bonnet? Isn't it against dress code?" he wondered.

Fran touched his apple bonnet, "Well, how can I say it…I just grew attached to it. Back then, I used to wear a large apple hat, and then Shishou made me wear this since Hibari-san didn't approve of the large hat in school, so I got stuck in wearing a bonnet." He explained.

"Why an apple?" he asked.

"I just like it that way, and it's my favorite fruit," he answered. Fran suddenly stopped, "Ah, Shishou,"

Natsuki looked and saw a charming boy with short brown hair that looked like a pineapple, and the most striking coal black eyes. He looked like a typical bishounen right out of a shoujo manga. If it weren't for his cease fire with Kyouya, he would have preferred this guy to be the ideal boyfriend for his sister. But who is he to judge? On the back of his mind, he couldn't help but feel like something was a little off.

"A friend of yours, Fran?" he asked.

Fran saw the glint in his master's eye, "Yup."

Natsuki bowed, "My name is Sawada Natsuki," he said.

The boy smirked, "Kufufufu," Natsuki was a little weirded out by his laugh, as if something was audibly familiar with it. Somehow, he sounded like someone familiar, and not in a good way. "You are the twin brother of Hime then," he said.

"Eh? You know my sister?" Natsuki wondered.

"Of course," he said, "I am Roku Kuro, the head of the Errand Committee. We carry out the um…manual labors of the Student Council,"

"Ah, so you're the one Fran has been calling Shishou all along?" Natsuki summarized.

Kuro laughed, "Yes. To say, he is my little apprentice. I'm a magician, you know," he mentioned.

Natsuki's eyes glinted, "Really? How many tricks can you do?" he asked.

Mukuro smiled in response, "Kufufufu, interested in magic I see? But, maybe some other time," he said.

"Kuro-sama!" a hyperactive voice of a boy shouted. All turned to the direction and saw a boy with spiky black hair and blue eyes who seemed to have some sort of canine teeth that is awfully creepy. Then another one was a taller boy with purple hair and eyes wearing glasses. The two as well, made him feel something ominous, as if he had felt their presence before.

Kuro turned and smiled at them, "Kenjou, Chiaki," he called.

"Hime-sama is looking for you. Something about the expenses and the equipments bought the other day not matching," Chiaki informed.

Kenjou then looked at Natsuki and Fran, "Hey brat, a new friend to tag along?" he asked.

"Don't group me with you guys, Kenjou-niisan," he then turned to Natsuki, "This is Kenjou-niisan and Chiaki-niisan. They are the slaves of Shishou and members of the Errand Committee," he informed.

Kenjou growled, "Who you calling slave brat?" he dared.

Fran's face gave nothing, "Aren't you, animal boy?"

Kuro tore the two apart, "Alright stop it. I don't want to get blamed by Hibari-kun for destroying school property in the name of both of you," he lectured. Kuro turned to Natsuki, "Excuse us, but Hime-sama needs me. I'll see you around, Natsuki-kun," he said as he turned back along with the two.

When they were out of earshot, Kuro chuckled, "Kufufufu, he is getting some feeling in his intuition I see…"

"Are you going to get exposed, Mukuro-sama? Isn't your illusion impenetrable? Is it weakening?" Kenjou whispered.

"Nonsense Ken. Mukuro-sama only lowered his illusion to a certain level enough to be sensed by Hime-sama and the others easily," Chiaki explained.

"Chikusa is right." He confirmed, "If he can't sense me and my disguise within the week, then he is not worthy to become the Vongola Decimo," he said.

"If that happens, then the seat of the candidate will be transferred to Hime-sama then?" Chikusa wondered.

Mukuro smirked, "If I know Hime any better, I'd say that she is not going to accept the offer, considering that she is the leader of _Sentinella_. And you know very well that the Watcher's leader cannot be bound to any family, but in blood only."

"In other words," Ken started, "The seat will be transferred to _that guy_,"

"Kufufufu, precisely," Mukuro replied, "But it's too soon to predict or assume that," unknown to Ken and Chikusa, Mukuro felt the presence of a baby in a fedora. He couldn't help but inwardly laugh. He never thought he would expose himself so freely.

…

Natsuki couldn't dismiss the fact that something was eerily familiar with the blond man, even though it was his first time meeting him. It went on until he and Fran found a seat with Yamamoto and Gokudera.

"Tenth?" Gokudera called him, "Are you alright? You've been playing with your food for three minutes,"

"Ah, could it be that you are feeling eerie in the presence of Shishou?"

Gokudera stuttered, "What? So you've met personally with that bastard…"

Natsuki raised a brow, "Why?"

Yamamoto answered for him, "Hayato hated him the moment he decided to hit on Tsuna. I got to tell you, Hibari didn't like it at all that he is still alive," he explained.

Natsuki huffed, "Well, if you ask me, eeriness aside, with his face, I wouldn't protest if he starts courting her…"

Gokudera then lost his mind and shook Natsuki with worry and fear evident in his eyes, "No Tenth! Don't you for a second think about that! The bastard is more than meets the eye! He's a _devil in disguise_!" he said frantically. "I would agree with Hibari in wanting to execute him, but because of Hime-sama's insistence on not making us murderers, we had to bear with him for the rest of our lives unless something happens to him without us being behind it,"

Fran summarized it, "Bottom line Natsuki, all hell will break loose if that happens, courtesy of a jealous prefect and too good to be loyal Octopus head-san and Kaichou. Don't even get me started with the ones under their power,"

Yamamoto laughed, "Fran-kun is right Natsuki. Kuro is not good for Tsuna. Just think like that before he plans on using you to get her," he advised.

Natsuki blinked a few times, dizzy after being shaken by Gokudera. "Look, I don't know what's the deal, but I'll keep that in mind," he promised.

…

Reborn knew something was weird the moment he saw Kuro Roku meet his student. While his looks are top notch for a model, except for his hair forming a pineapple-ish hair, he knew something was up, and his mannerism gave him away. His student had to be clueless on not noticing it.

His form was a complete illusion, and his name was a dead giveaway to someone smart enough to assume it. But one thing bothered him. Shouldn't Rokudo Mukuro be in Vindice after Iemitsu and Natsuki sent him there after a failed attempt to take over Natsuki's body? If they did, who did Vindice made a deal with to release the illusionist? Clearly it was someone influential, but who?

But then, to his amusement, the illusionist in disguise had gotten attracted to his student's sister, and that alone is an unusual attraction. He could only guess that it was Tsuna's doing that he still didn't die under the hands of her prefect boyfriend. There is something about Sawada Tsunarumi that made her the Mafia-worthy magnet, and he is yet to discover why a girl so oblivious to the mafia would attract those kinds of people with her charisma alone. What a difficult puzzle that girl is.

He will have time to investigate the girl, but right now, she is the invisible key in acquiring formidable guardians. Since Mukuro was out of the prison, even for some unknown reason, he might be a probable one. All he had to do was to follow him and let him know of his presence. But he assumes that he already knew.

He followed Mukuro and his two lackeys to the Student Council office, where Tsuna and Giotto were eating their bento while working. Alaude was there also, working on his duties with half of Giotto's work as well. Nearly a few weeks before the Sports Festival and they are already busy with work.

"Is there something you need, Hime?" Mukuro said.

Tsuna tore her eyes away from the papers and took out the receipts, shopping list and the account books, "These don't match," she said. "I found three more receipts on the plastic of the softballs, and since we already have a lot of things to do, could you take care of it?" she asked.

Mukuro smiled, "Of course," he replied. He then leaned on Tsuna, "Oh and we have a baby spy on our midst." He whispered. "It appears to be a new recruit, a transfer student, if I may say,"

Tsuna smiled, "Have you taken care of it? I see that you lowered your quality," she commented.

"Kufufufu, who do you think you are talking to, Hime?" he said. "I've already eliminated their chances, and I am testing the little thing right now,"

Tsuna and Mukuro were talking about two different things at the same time. One was a spy in the dead last class of their year trying to figure out their secret of victory, while the other was Reborn already knowing who he really is.

"Very well, now can you get these done? We need to be ahead of schedule right now," she then looked at the two, "Oh, and Kenjou-kun and Chiaki-kun? Continue organizing the bought equipments to the storage room," she instructed.

Tsuna's word was law when Giotto was busy with music blaring on his ears. And they would be idiots if they choose not to heed her words.

Reborn was quite amused at this. It was like Tsuna was guiding the Council while their president was too preoccupied with work and a glaring Vice-President directed at him.

…

By the time Mukuro finished, he stood up and went to Tsuna, "It's done," he said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to take care of things," he said as he exited the office. A few steps later, Mukuro stopped on his tracks, "How long are you going to be hiding there, Arcobaleno?" he wondered.

Reborn appeared at the windowsill, staring at Mukuro with his blank black eyes. "How did you get out of Vindice prison with that kind of illusionary level?" he wondered.

"Kufufufu, you underestimate me, Arcobaleno. I'm just testing out the little Vongola if he can sense my presence at this level of illusion," he said, "It would be fun to see his face once he realizes it's me,"

Reborn held Leone as a gun, "If you even dare harm the candidate, I will tell the Vindice on you," he warned.

Mukuro held his hands up, "Oya, picking up a fight at school? It might tick Hibari off; besides, the Vindice released me themselves,"

The baby's brows furrowed in suspicion, "How?" Reborn demanded.

Mukuro smiled, "Now don't give me that hostile look. _Regina della Sentinella_ released me," he revealed.

Reborn's brow furrowed, "The leader of _Sentinella_ released you?"

"Kufufufu, that organization saw some potential in me so she had asked Vindice to release me, in exchange for my freedom, I am to work under her. But as far as it goes, the leader only contacts me on a rare basis, and has no qualms on where I go." He said.

Reborn smirked, "To think that someone like that person would loosen the leash of someone as dangerous of an illusionist as you," he said.

"Well, like I say, _Sentinella_ gives our freedom and in exchange, we carry out orders with our best ability,"

It was then when Reborn popped a question, "Do you think that the leader of _Sentinella_ would also allow you to be bound to a family as a guardian?" he taunted.

Mukuro smirked, "Are you negotiating with me, Arcobaleno?" he wondered.

"A mist like you could be useful," he said plainly. "As far as I know about that organization branch of Vindice, any member can be bound to any family other than their very leader,"

"To correct you, once a member joins a family officially, you will get demoted as a _Confidante_," Mukuro huffed, "But I'll give the little Vongola a week to sense my presence with this level of illusion. If not, then you will have to find another potential guardian," he said as he walked away.

Reborn looked at the retreating illusionist. So that's the way he wants it? He will just have to see.

**Now, what do you guys think? Ignore the thing about the Sports Festival. It's just a filler thing for him to get some more hints about Tsuna's life in his absence. **

**REVIEW!**


	9. Of Pineapples and Afros

**I see everyone liked my introduction on Mukuro. Well then, moving on, this chapter will bring about the last guardian. I can tell that you already know who that is. **

**Chapter 9 Of Pineapples and Afros**

**Paragon University, Middle School Division, Machinery Laboratory**

Lampo sat on one of the working tables, tinkering with a long pink bazooka. No one was occupying the room so he has it for a good hour. As he connected the wires together, he couldn't take of the feeling that someone was watching him.

Placing his tools down on the table, he scratched his head. "I can't work like this. Arcobaleno, how long are you going to watch me? It's distracting," he complained.

A few moments later, Reborn appeared at the window of the laboratory, his eyes beaming with interest on the young inventor. He had seen the talent of the young Bovino, and he was the grandchild of the creator of the Ten Year Bazooka, which is saying that the boy is bound to defy the laws of the universe for discovery of phenomenon of different variations.

"You seemed to be eager to finish your work," Reborn said, eyeing the machine.

Lampo took it and returned the bazooka to its custom made case. "I am, but I can't work properly if someone is watching my every move," he replied. "Now, care to tell me why you're stalking me instead of watching over the Vongola brat?" he asked.

"Gokudera could have told you that we are here to look for potential guardians, right?" he answered.

Lampo lazily raised an eyebrow, "And your business relates me to it because…?"

"I ask you to make your little brother Natsuki's guardian,"

Lampo froze. Tsuna's warning was right. He had remembered a particular conversation about it after the main meeting the other day. He remembered her words,

"_If you sense Reborn observing you at a certain time, then it means that he plans on recruiting either you or Lambo," _

"_But why Lambo? He's barely five," _

"_Age does not matter as long as you are part of the mafia and the Cosa Nostra. And besides, Lambo is tougher than he looks, and you yourself know his strength and genetic ability,"_

"_I understand…but…"_

"_It's normal to worry about him. In order to assure his safety, make a pact with Reborn, or a bargain, so to speak."_

"_Then what do I say?"_

"_Just listen to what I have to say…"_

Lampo sighed and leaned on the table, "What made you particularly interested in my five year-old brother?"

The baby smirked as he jumped on the table, "Good question," he said, "I am interested, or _we_, the Vongola and I, on the ability of your family. If I remember correctly, you and your brother, your father, your grandfather and your ancestors all have the same very special ability," he recalled.

Lampo furrowed his brows, "How did you know that we posses Electricco Cuoio?"

"The Vongola has its sources." Reborn answered plainly. "But I am in no place to say that to someone part of the Bovino family, now, am I? And if your brother becomes Natsuki's guardian, what an honor it will be,"

Lampo thought for a moment. Even if Tsuna had warned him, he still hasn't decided if he would let his little brother become a guardian of Vongola. Then he remembered the thing Tsuna had said to him about his condition. Looking at the baby, he opened his mouth to speak, "If I agree to this arrangement," Reborn was ready for the question he will ask, "Will you promise that my brother will not come too close to Death's ever welcoming door?" he asked. "Apart from our father, Lambo is the last family I have here in Japan, and I had promised my mother before she died that I will keep my brother safe and delay the time for the two of them to meet in the afterlife," he stated.

Reborn looked at the eyes of the teen. To think that he was only fifteen, and had already started acting like a proper parent. Maybe this is the effect it does to eldest children when the responsibility of bringing up a younger sibling. They become too overprotective. But he couldn't pass off not making the youngest Bovino in Japan a potential guardian. "On behalf of Natsuki, we swear upon keeping him away from Death's door,"

Lampo still did not see this as a sincere answer, but he will have to find out if it was so in time. But there was something that he wanted to add to Tsuna's given advice, "If my brother dies before he is twenty, I am blaming you, the Vongola brat and the External Adviser," he warned, which made Reborn raise an eyebrow, "You will find out that I am more than capable of getting back at you,"

"Is that a threat?"

"Could be, if my conditions are broken," he stated.

Reborn nodded, "That can be agreeable,"

…

**Namimori Private Academy**

Kuro's presence irked him. The moment he met him, something keeps bugging on Natsuki's head that he should stay away from him. It had been like that since Tuesday, and now that Thursday reeled in, the feeling got worse. He kept popping up everywhere Fran goes and when they meet, he always had that eerie feeling about him, like his mind was trying to tell him something. He had consulted to her sister the night when he first met Kuro.

"_Kuro-kun? He's a good guy, for me at least. Gokudera, Giotto-nii and Kyouya hate it when he flirts at me, but he is very reliable when he carries out some errands,"_

That was not something to go on. His sister tends to trust everyone she meets. Sometimes, they could be the wrong people, like the eerie Kuro. Though Fran seemed to trust him, he was his master after all. He only knew that Fran was a good magician when he tested what he had learned to him yesterday. He tried to get himself to ask Fran what he saw in the teen, but he decided against it. For all he knew, Fran had a great respect for the teen.

Add to that, last night, a scary memory went to his dreams. It was something that he didn't want to remember at all costs, but then, his dreams had to disagree with him.

In Italy, Rokudo Mukuro had been the terror of the mafia world a year ago. He was known to have taken out some students of his former Italian school, but not just any random students. He had targeted a lot of strong people especially those in the martial arts and combat clubs. It was until he was informed of it did he try and invade Mukuro into his hideout on the outskirts of Palermo when he got an absolute order from the Ninth to take him down.

He had shown up and met a young boy named Fuuta, the Ranking Prince, whom Mukuro kidnapped to get the roster of the strongest people in school. Of course, expectedly, Natsuki came in first. He just had to reveal himself so that other students in his school would stop getting attacked for no reason. Five of his classmates had been beaten up as well. But he didn't manage to do it alone though. His father had reached out to help him with his other minions while he took care of the man himself—the real one, that is.

He had managed to defeat him with the resolve he had had, courtesy of the baby hitman. Though he was only helping, at that time, he wasn't his official tutor yet. But the nightmare still lingered with his vow that Natsuki will have to pay for his defeat dearly. At the same day, he saw the very nightmare of the mafia world. The first time he had seen the Vindice, he had been terrified with their bandaged faces and long cloaks and top hats. Add to that, their scary chains that had hauled Mukuro and his minions into their custody.

They were the people he hoped he wouldn't see in his lifetime again.

So when he had been assigned by the class through Lottery—something that the class use when no one wants to volunteer—to go to the Pre-school division and become the brother/sister for a day there, he just had to be with the senior master of Fran in one class. To say the least, he had the feeling of eeriness in him again. And it was bothering him. Reborn had told him that it was just his imagination getting the best of him, and he had also consulted his sister at this, only telling him something that he had least expected.

"_Seems to me that your mind is trying to tell you something, I'm no dream interpreter, but I guess the person in your dreams is letting you know that he is just right under your nose,"_

"_What if this person is already in a place that you know he really is at?" _he had asked.

"_Well…maybe he decided to get out of that place without you knowing, and is just waiting for you to realize that," _

Her last reply bothered him out more than ever…for one thing; she made the feeling worsen on his part.

"What's the matter, Sawada-kun?" Kuro asked rather innocently, almost making Natsuki jump.

"Ah…nothing Roku-sempai…" he lied. In fact, he was feeling something creepy the longer he is near him.

Mukuro smirked, "Oya, are you uncomfortable with me?" he asked.

Natsuki stuttered for a bit, "N-No…" he lied again. Something kept bugging him at the back of his mind, but he tried to ignore it.

Mukuro smirked. "Kufufufu, people always feel a little uncomfortable around me. It's okay really," he said.

Natsuki instantly felt bad about it. But he kept defending in his head that it wasn't his fault that the guy was emitting a creepy aura. Somehow he felt it was directed at him.

When Mukuro opened the door to the toddler class, two kids' heads shot up and looked at both Natsuki and Mukuro.

"Kuro-niichan!" the two called.

Natsuki took a closer look at the toddlers. He saw a girl in Chinese clothing with a rope-like black hair. Her eyes were so small that it looked like she has her eyes closed, and she was wearing glasses. The other was a boy in a cow suit complete with horns with a black afro styled hair with green eyes. What caught the attention of Natsuki in his afro was that it was full of candies and toys. A weird stockroom, but hey, the kid's only five.

"Hey," Mukuro said as he kneeled down to lower himself to the two toddlers. He then looked at Natsuki, "Sawada-kun, I would like you to meet I-pin and Lambo," he introduced. "I-pin is Chinese and he lives with Kyouya and his brother while Lambo is Italian and he is the little brother of a friend. You two, this is Natsuki,"

Natsuki kneeled down as well. "Hey," he greeted.

"Ara ara, he looks like Tsuna-neechan!" Lambo pointed.

"That's because I am her twin brother," he explained.

The two toddlers looked at him. But then the two smiled and jumped at him, making Natsuki chuckle. He always liked kids in this age.

It was then when the teacher noticed them, "Ah, Roku-kun," she said. The two teens stood up, with Natsuki carrying the two toddlers. "And you must be Sawada Tsunarumi-chan's twin brother, Sawada Natsuki-kun,"

The boy nodded, "Yes…" he replied.

The teacher then looked at her two students, "Now, be good kids to your big brothers, okay?"

The toddlers nodded. "We promise to be good!"

…

Tsuna met up with Hana at lunch break just after sending Natsuki to the Pre-school division for some toddler babysitting with Mukuro. "Thank you for your help Hana-chan," she thanked.

Hana smiled, "Don't mention it, but I don't understand why you had to send him off with that pervert to take care of I-pin and Lambo,"

Tsuna smiled, "Well, it's the only way for him to meet someone, and the 'Be a Big Brother and Sister Day' had come around well," she explained.

Hana smiled, "You're a sly one, Sawada,"

Tsuna smiled back, "And I like it that way,"

…

Natsuki watched as the two played on the school's playground. Lambo and I-pin were playing in the sandbox making sandcastles. He was more than happy to lead them here, what with the enthusiastic stories of the two of their games and of their outrageous stories. Natsuki has recognized Lambo as one of the members of the Bovino family, though he knew that he had a big brother. He wonders why his brother chose a different school than his little brother. Then there was I-pin, according to Reborn, she is a student of Fon and is now being taken care of by one of his close colleagues. He didn't know that Fon's close colleagues were the Hibari twins, even more so, he couldn't believe that he was their uncle. He had once thought that they have the same face, but he never imagined that the Storm Arcobaleno was related to the anti-social twins by blood.

It was then when Lambo had suggested a game of fighting with I-pin did he notice that the boy took out a pink grenade from his large afro full of junk did he get a little alarmed. If the guy beside him hadn't held him back, he could have been running towards the two for the danger that they might put themselves into.

But to his amazement, the grenade exploded with a small kind of explosion, enough for I-pin to retaliate with good martial arts skills. It shocked him to the very core since no five year-old could perform such complicated fighting styles like the Chinese girl had done.

"Kufufufu, kids are a little amusing to see, aren't they?" he stated.

Natsuki still felt uncomfortable with him. Even though he was able to negate the feeling with the presence of the toddlers, when they are away, the feeling comes back.

Mukuro saw this and inwardly smirked. Doesn't this kid follow his intuition? Only one way to test it, "Are you still uncomfortable?" he asked.

Natsuki didn't want to hurt the feelings of the older teen, so he decided to just tell the truth, "Well…it's because you kind of remind me of someone…" he confessed. "More like a person that had once tried to hurt me in a way,"

"Oya?" Mukuro knew that the boy was feeling his presence. "And who might that be?"

Natsuki scratched the back of his neck, "Well…it's a little hard to explain…it might offend you,"

"It's alright, you can tell me," he assured.

This was a dead end. He had to confess. He hated lying to people that intimidates him. "Well…your feel made me think about a guy named Rokudo Mukuro…"

The two toddlers remained oblivious, too indulged in their game, or so it had looked. But the two knew that their 'Kuro-niichan' will be 'changing' very soon. Natsuki didn't notice it because Mukuro had given him a mischievous stare. "Kufufufu, your intuition has been bugging you for the past three days I see, Vongola," he said as mist shrouded him.

Natsuki stared in horror as he took a step back as the teen transformed—better yet—took of his illusion. "You!"

"Kufufufu," Mukuro chuckled as he completely took off his illusion, "Nice to meet you again, Vongola,"

"Mukuro!" Natsuki shouted. "How did you escape Vindice?" he demanded, preparing himself for a fight.

Mukuro raised his hands in a cease fire, "Oya, don't start a fight. Hibari might blame me for it," he said. "As for Vindice, they released me soon after you had caused my capture," he said.

"B-But…why?" he demanded.

"That's because someone important released him," Reborn said as he emerged and jumped at Natsuki's head.

"Reborn! How did you know all this?" he demanded.

Reborn looked at his student, "We'll have time for that later. Right now, I want you to meet your Mist and Thunder guardians," he said.

"Eh?"

"As promised Arcobaleno, I will be Vongola's Mist guardian, since he has noticed my presence, though his intuition needs a little more improvement," Mukuro said.

"And the Thunder guardian?" Natsuki demanded.

"The cow with the afro hair," Reborn pointed.

Natsuki's eyes widened, "Lambo? Isn't he too young?" he wondered.

"Nonsense, age doesn't matter when choosing guardians most of the time. I already spoke to his brother and he agreed to make him one of your guardians. You would be surprised at his hidden kick," he stated.

"Do I have any say in this?" Natsuki said.

"Unless you want to miss a good catch," Reborn taunted.

Natsuki sighed. "Nevermind…" then something hit him. His thoughts went to his deadpanned friend, "Wait a second…if you are Roku Kuro…then that makes Fran…"

Mukuro smirked, "Yes, Fran is an illusionist-in-training," he revealed.

At that moment, he fainted.

…

From the camera attached in Mukuro's tie, Tsuna saw the reaction of her little brother at her iPad in the Reception Room. She sighed at the sight, "Really, fainting in front of toddlers and Mukuro-kun…" she then placed a smile on her face. "But I congratulate him for completing his set of guardians…"

It was then when she noticed Kyouya stirring from his sleep on her lap. He opened his eyes slowly, "I see you are amused by this," he stated.

Tsuna gave him a smile, "Well, Natsuki did complete his guardians. The only thing that's missing is the half-rings, and then you will be official,"

"Hn," was only Kyouya's reply.

Then Tsuna got a video call from Daemon, "What is it?"

Daemon's face showed a scheming look, "You would never guess who will arrive there tomorrow," he said.

Tsuna's brow rose an inch, "And who is it?"

"Gokudera Hayato's half-sister Bianchi, the Poison Scorpion, and not too long after that, next week, Ranking Fuuta will be arriving at the Sawada household," he informed.

Tsuna smiled, "I see…mafia people will be piling up at our house, but it would be good if Mom has some company,"

Then the screen showed Lampo, "Hime, are you sure that my brother will be safe in the hands of the Vongola?" he wondered.

The girl chuckled, "I assure you, he would. If he did, then the Arcobaleno will have to answer to us."

Lambo sighed, "If you say so, Hime,"

"The full roster is complete. All that's left is pandemonium," Tsuna muttered.

**The fainting part just came out of my head all of a sudden, as it is a normal reaction to someone whose head overloaded with information and shock. As for the pandemonium Tsuna said, I bet you know what that is. **

**On the other hand, what do you guys think? Is it good enough this time? **

**REVIEW!**


	10. Poison Scorpion and the Smoking Bomb

**Okay! I will be showing in the next two chapters the characters I kind of forgot to insert along the guardian selections. I think you can guess who they are right now. **

**I was surprised everyone liked the previous chapter, but personally, I didn't like it that much because of some things...**

**Oh well, enjoy the next chapter!**

**Chapter 10 Poison Scorpion and the Smoking Bomb**

Natsuki is going out of his mind. Ever since this morning, he has feared food. Why wouldn't he when there's poison on his bento this morning? He knew that his tutor's fourth ex-lover is here, and Reborn was not going to tell him. What is it with people letting him find out for himself anyways? Things are not going as he seemed anymore.

Since the Poison Scorpion is here, then there is a chance that she might also put poison on Tsuna's food as well. So when lunch break came, he came to the office of the Student Council office for her. It was a good thing that Yamamoto and Gokudera were still there. He knew the bomber to be the half-brother of the woman. To his astonishment, Giotto was missing again, probably escaping his duties again, and it was up to Alaude to hunt him down _again_. Mukuro was there, giving him a silent look. He had explained to him that Tsuna doesn't know that he is in disguise. The only ones in the room besides the illusionist were Tsuna, Yamamoto and Gokudera doing some work while eating. It has been like this for days now ever since they had started preparing for the two special events. He knew that they were in a stress mode, and Tsuna had proven that when she has easily snapped a week before.

"Natsuki, what are you doing here?" she wondered.

Natsuki started to stutter, "Um…I need to talk to Gokudera for a while, if that's okay Nee-san," he asked.

Natsuki gave Gokudera a pleading look. Tsuna saw it. She figured it had something to do with the Poison Scorpion. "Okay,"

Gokudera stood up from his seat and went outside. "What is it Tenth?" he wondered.

Natsuki whispered in terror, "Bianchi-san is here right now!" he informed.

The silver haired man's face paled at the knowledge. "What? Aneki is here?!" he panicked. "This is bad indeed…"

"Look, if this is about her poison cooking, I am well aware of it. The only problem is that I fear that she would target Nee-san's food,"

"I wouldn't do such a thing," a woman's voice said.

Both teens froze when they heard the voice. Both turned and saw the Poison Scorpion standing behind them. The two yelped. "Bianchi-san!" Natsuki exclaimed. It was then when he heard a large thump beside him, and there lay Gokudera, hands clutching his stomach and passed out. "Gokudera!" he said with worry. On the back of his mind, now he knew the second reason for Gokudera to faint.

The Student Council office door opened revealing a worried Tsuna and Yamamoto.

"Gokudera-kun!"

"Hayato!"

The two shouted in unison. Tsuna was the first to reach him, "Are you okay?" she asked. Gokudera just groaned in response. Tsuna looked at Yamamoto, "Take him to the infirmary quick!" she ordered. The boy didn't need to be told twice to lift the boy up and ran to the infirmary. Hopefully their perverted doctor will not think twice in treating the bomber. Frankly, they sometimes hope he wasn't there at all.

Bianchi sighed, "As usual, he always faints when he sees me," she said hurtfully.

Tsuna looked at the woman. She had long fuchsia hair and wore a black top and grey pants, "Ah, you're Gokudera-kun's relative?" she wondered.

Bianchi nodded, "I'm his half-sister, so to say. I'm Bianchi," she introduced.

Natsuki looked at his sister, "She will stay with us for a while. Reborn invited him over," he explained.

"Oh," Tsuna replied and smiled at the woman, "Nice to meet you Bianchi-san, I'm Natsuki's twin, Tsunarumi. You can just call me Tsuna,"

The Mafiosi smiled at the cheeriness and the obliviousness of the brunette girl. She wonders why Iemitsu never talks about her. She seemed to be a lovely girl. "Nice to meet you, Tsuna," she replied. "Well then, I must be going. I need to find Reborn and tell him I'm here,"

Tsuna tilted her head, "Aren't you going to see Gokudera-kun?" she wondered.

Bianchi gave out a sad smile, "I believe he doesn't want to see me this time. Well then, see you soon," she bid and left the twins.

"You should see if Gokudera is okay," Tsuna said, "I'm getting a little busier, and tell Yamamoto that I need him here," she said.

Natsuki nodded as he ran towards the infirmary. Tsuna frowned when she couldn't see her brother anymore. "What are you going to do about your sister, Gokudera-kun?" she muttered as she went back inside the office.

…

Natsuki got there in two minutes, but he abruptly stopped when he heard some moaning sound. He peered into the crack of the door and his eyes widened when he saw the baseball star's lips on the silver haired teen. He blushed and tore his eyes away from the scene and gathered all his sanity back, ignoring the fact that he now knew what his sister had meant after the bomb accident a week ago. Gathering up himself, he knocked on the door for fair warning, "Gokudera?" he said as he opened the door. Yamamoto was sitting beside the bed where Gokudera lay.

"Tenth," he called. "I'm sorry for my action back there,"

Natsuki shook his head, "It's okay, but, care to tell me the whole reason why you fainted with a stomachache?" he said as he sat on another chair.

Gokudera smiled weakly, "Um…you see, ever since I had held a recital on our family castle, Aneki always gave me some of her poisoned cookies because it made my father think that I did good with it…from there, she has always made cookies for every recital I had and gave me stomachache afterwards, until up to the point where every time I see her face, the stomachache returns…"

Natsuki stared dumbly at it. No wonder the teen had been traumatized. "I see…well, I do understand you. I had been a victim to her two years ago..." he mentioned. "Are you going to be fine, Gokudera?" he asked.

The boy nodded, "Yes. Don't mind me; I just need a bit of rest. You can go too idiot. Hime-sama needs help in the work," he said, "I'll join you in a while,"

Yamamoto and Natsuki heeded his words. When they got out of the infirmary, Natsuki smirked, "So, you and Gokudera,"

Yamamto stuttered a bit. "Ah…how did you know?" he wondered.

The boy snickered, "If you're going to make out, be sure that the door is completely closed," he advised.

Yamamoto blushed. "Hehe…you found us out…"

Natsuki smiled, "How long have you been together?"

"Two years…" he informed.

"I see. Then Gokudera must be happy with you," Natsuki commented. "Is Nee-san aware of this?"

"Thanks Natsuki. Yes, Tsuna knew. She was the one who did the matchmaking you know," he commented. "Something she picked up at Otome Road, or something near that,"

Natsuki stopped on their tracks. "D-Did you say…O-Otome Road?" he asked.

"Yeah, why?" Yamamoto asked.

So he was oblivious that Otome Road in Akihabara was the haven for Yaoi fans. Natsuki cringed at that. "Nothing…"

…

"It's done!" Giotto said while he stretched his arms victoriously. The others did the same as well. They had finished the preparations of both the Sports Fest and the Scholastic Decathlon with weeks to spare.

"Thank goodness it's all finished!" Yamamoto said with glee.

"We had EXTREMELY done it in an EXTREME two weeks!" Ryohei exclaimed.

"Kufufufu, I guess everything paid off," Mukuro mused.

Their Council had a knack of finishing ahead of time, and does it perfectly well. It was instigated by Giotto himself to save enough energy for the occasion itself. Regular students can't have all the fun. Besides, they have some training to do for the events they are in.

Giotto then looked at them, "Then, why don't we have dinner at my house for some celebration?" he offered.

"Go!" they all replied gleefully.

"Oh, and Tsuna," he called, "Is it alright if Nana-san does the cooking? I already asked for her permission,"

Tsuna laughed, "Why would you ask me when she already agreed? Tell her to bring Natsuki as well. I'm sure he would find company with the others, especially Fran-kun,"

Giotto looked at Fran who was finishing up the files at the storage of Giotto, "You seemed to get along pretty well with Natsuki, Fran," he commented.

Fran nodded, "He is a better company than Ken-niisan and Chikusa-niisan," he explained.

"What was that you little-!" Ken growled, but Chikusa held him in his place.

M.M., another member of the Errand Committee sighed, "You three won't stop bickering for that," she said.

Giotto clasped his hands, "Well, shall we keep these files so that we can go?" he offered.

"YES!" they all replied.

…

"Mom, tell me again why we are coming in Giotto-nii's place?" Natsuki wondered.

Nana smiled at her son, "Well Natsu-kun, Gio-kun asked me to cook for tonight for the entire Student Council because they have finished their preparations for the Sports Festival and the Scholastic Decathlon with weeks to spare. They have worked very hard, and I always cook for them after their preparations as celebration of their early-bird success." She explained.

"And why is Bianchi-san and Reborn with us?" he wondered while pointing to the woman and the baby who was sitting on her left shoulder.

"Well, I can't possibly leave them on the house now, can I? Besides, Gio-kun said it was okay," she said.

Natsuki sighed. It was going to be a long night.

The moment Giotto and the others of the Student Council arrived (Except for Alaude and Kyouya because of their hate in crowding and Kyouya's hives because it acts up when he is surrounded by a population of over fifteen), the table is already set and Nana had already laid out the food that she had cooked an hour before. As usual, they were entranced by the amount of the food that was prepared on the large table of the dining room. Giotto's family, on the side of his father was very well-off, and had showered him with enough luxury. His mother, who is the sister of Nana, was good in cooking also, being a world renown chef in Paris and is there for a formal gathering of one of the most powerful politicians. But she had admitted that Nana was far better than her in terms of cooking.

"Welcome home Gio-kun~!" Nana greeted as she came out of the door with Natsuki who was wearing an apron.

"Hey guys," Natsuki greeted. "Oh, and Gokudera, Bianchi wants to talk to you at the porch, if you don't mind," he said. A grunt from Gokudera knew that he didn't like the sound of his sister around the corner, not when just a direct stare from her would send him to a myriad of stomachaches. "Don't worry, she placed on her goggles so that the two of you could talk properly," he informed.

Tsuna insisted on more, "Go on Gokudera-kun, the evasion has gone far enough,"

Gokudera couldn't resist the twins that he has sworn his loyalty to. For him, their orders are absolute. "Of course Tenth, Hime-sama, go on without me," he said as he went to the porch where his sister was sitting on the railing, a backpack slung on her right shoulder.

Gokudera shoved his hands on his side pockets as he stared out on the garden of the Ieyatsu mansion. "So, what do you want to talk about?" he asked, not looking at her.

Bianchi stared at her brother behind her goggles, "Are you still angry about Father not telling you anything about your real mother?" she asked.

Gokudera gritted his teeth, "Of course I am! He forbade my mother to see me anytime she wanted even though he can. I never even knew that she was my mother until after her death…I thought back then that she was just a lady who loves and taught me the piano and has rare visits especially on my birthday…" he said. "I hate Father to the core for not telling me the truth, and the fact that there are rumors spreading that he ordered one of his men to kill her by means of a car accident!"

Bianchi sighed as she got the bag off of her shoulder and handed it to her brother, "Here,"

Gokudera reached out to get the bag from her. He looked at his sister to find her eyes insisting him on opening the bag. When he did, he saw that the bag was filled with letters addressed to his mother. "This…this is…" he managed to let out.

"Those are the letters that Father had kept on writing to your mother," she revealed. "They were letters that were never sent to her," Gokudera stared at her as she continued. "In truth, Father wanted to marry your mother after he divorces Mother, but she refused. At that time, she was slowly dying with an incurable disease. She didn't want to burden him or you in her illness. Before the car accident on your birthday, she was already killed by that very illness that had plagued her,"

Gokudera clutched the bag that held the letters, too shocked to even say anything. But his sister continued, "Father never stopped hoping that one day the three of you would be together. But the accident had made that futile. He stopped writing them soon after she died. Remember this Hayato, you were brought to this world by two loving parents," she finished.

"I…I never thought that Father still cared for my mother that way…" he said.

"You were still young, and before Father could tell you, you ran away and Shamal took you in as his guardian. What more could he tell to a son who had ended up hating him?" Bianchi reasoned. "Father gave those to me before I left for Namimori, and instructed me to tell the truth to you," she revealed. "He hoped to set things right about the knowledge he had of your mother, and the truth behind her death. To let you know that he had loved her."

Gokudera bent his head down. He felt like a fool on not confronting his father when he had the chance. He never knew that his father had been so ready in telling him the entire truth about the mother he barely knew. She was the one who had taught him the piano and the one who had given him that talent. He could still remember that smiling face of hers, and her long silver hair that has been passed onto him…her radiant smile that he sometimes compared to Yamamoto. Maybe that was the reason why he fell for the baseball idiot even though he was pretty much of an airhead at times.

Bianchi interrupted his train of thoughts, "Our parents aside," Gokudera's head shot up, "I wish that your love life would be less complicated than mine," she winked, "I like that Yamamoto Takeshi. Very happy-go-lucky…he had been a great influence in your temper, and Sawada Tsunarumi seemed to have done wonders into your rebellious streak," she said as she turned to go inside.

"Aneki…" Bianchi stopped, "Thanks."

Bianchi smiled back at her little brother, "No problem. We better get going or the food will run out. Don't worry, I didn't help with the cooking," she informed before going back inside the dining room.

Gokudera was left in the porch. He looked at the letters that were addressed to his mother by his father. Who knew the old man would be the romantic type back then? Sighing, he zipped the bag and returned to the dining room. Hopefully they wouldn't hog all of the food down in less than five minutes.

…

Two hours later, Gokudera and Yamamoto went home together, having been enjoying themselves too much at the President's house. By the time the two left, they were still playing twister game with Fran winning, and Monopoly, which Tsuna had been winning three times in a row, bankrupting Natsuki in less than three minutes. Reborn seemed to have stood strong in Tsuna's arsenal, but he too lost after a mistake in buying a property at his twentieth turn.

As they walked holding hands since it was the middle of the night, Gokudera leaned in his lover's shoulder. "Hey, Takeshi…"

Yamamoto looked at the silver haired teen, "Yeah?"

"If I ever break up with you-" at that moment, Yamamoto's hand tightened his grip, but Gokudera ignored it, "Because I was gravely ill and it could kill me anytime, what will you do?" he wondered.

"Is this got something to do with the talk that you had with Bianchi-san?" he wondered.

"Just answer the question," Gokudera said irritably.

Yamamoto returned his usual smile, "Well, of course I will not break up with you!" he answered. "Should that happen, I will stay by your side until your last breath so that I will know that you will be happy until the end,"

Butterflies seemed to fill up Gokudera's stomach after hearing his words. He would go that far for him because he loved him. His father honored his mother's decision because of the very disease, and he respected that, but the fact that she had ended up hurting the three of them, that was another matter. But looking at it, it would cause him and his father greater pain in seeing her die by their eyes, and that was something that she didn't want to happen, but still…

"You know, your decision is wiser than what father did…" he replied. Yamamoto knew that it had something to do with his parents after all. "Mom refused to marry my father because of her illness, fearing that she would become a burden…" he started shaking, holding his tears, "But she didn't know that it hurt us more in not letting us share her pain…and I thought to myself…what if I do the same with you? Would you act like what Father did in the past…?"

Yamamoto stopped and pulled the teen into a hug, is face smiling, but his eyes told otherwise. "Maa, maa, no matter what you do, I will never leave you alone with a killing illness." He said, "Even the others will not accept it. Besides, G-san will go nuts if you ever tried that stunt that his aunt had pulled,"

Gokudera smiled. "Thanks Takeshi…"

Yamamoto just smiled and pulled away. He reached for his hands and pulled him towards the road, "Well then, shall we get some ice cream before heading home?" he offered. Gokudera just rolled his eyes at his childishness, but decided to go for it.

…

Bianchi stared at the porch as she glanced at the gardens of the mansion. Her eyes blank and not directed at anything in particular. Her mind was on her brother and how he had taken that revelation to heart. She was happy that her brother had found someone to love, and vice versa. She could only hope that his love wouldn't be as tragic as his parents, and she wished that for herself as well.

"I wish you all the best, Hayato…"

**I know, Gokudera is a bit OOC, but it helps for him to show some emotion since he was raised differently in this world. It was fun to write a slightly sappy 8059 for once in my life. The next chapter will show one of my favorite sub-characters of the anime! I hope you can guess who that is.**

**REVIEW!**


	11. Ranking Fuuta

**Well, I hope some of you liked my display of 8059. Honestly, it was the first time I have ever written something about the pairing since I have only imagined it for sometime now. I never really written it in the computer, but, oh well. **

**The next character that will be introduced is one of my favorites. I hope you like this early update!**

**Chapter 11 Ranking Fuuta**

Fuuta arrived at the plane on Sunday, against the wishes of his parents. He said that he couldn't wait for him to meet the person that had saved him from the clutches of the criminal illusionist. But there was another reason for him to come to Japan. According to the Ranking Star, he will be protected if he was under the Vongola Decimo Candidate, and the leader of the _Sentinella. _ He knew enough that the identity of the leader of the Espionage organization of Vindice is the top two most kept secret in the mafia world, next to the secrets of Vindice. And he will not risk his life in revealing it to be the twin sister of the Vongola Decimo candidate. There is a reason why that is the second most kept secret.

Getting out of the airport, he hailed a cab to the Sawada Residence.

…

The house was eating breakfast with Tsuna cooking this time. She had barely enough time to do so because of their Student Council work. "Here's an extra omelet Natsuki," she said as she gave him a plate with two omelets on it. Natsuki's eyes twinkled as he ate his sister's cooking. She has promised to cook for today, making Nana have time for some rest, and to eat the cooking of her daughter that she has missed for the past two weeks.

"You really should consider taking Culinary Arts in college, Tsuna," Reborn commented.

Tsuna blushed lightly at the compliment of the baby, her pink apron swishing with her in slight embarrassment, "Oh please! You flatter me too much!"

Bianchi looked at her, "It makes me want to teach you my style of cooking," he said.

Natsuki paled, "I think Nee-san is better off with her style of cooking, Bianchi-san," he insisted. He could only imagine what would become of his sister's cooking once she is under the tutelage of the Poison Scorpion.

Tsuna could have accepted that, but she tends to confuse things in cooking sometimes, so she decided against it. "No thank you Bianchi-san. Besides, Kyouya likes my style of cooking as well, and he prefers it personally,"

"Then why isn't he here for your cooking?" Natsuki wondered.

Tsuna smiled, "I cooked for him and Alaude-san yesterday after our date. And besides, I prepare some bento for him as well everyday," she informed. "But if you want, I could call him for dinner…" she suggested, teasing her brother.

Natsuki flailed his hands, "No! He doesn't like crowding, remember?"

"Oh, that's right," Tsuna feigned a reminded look.

"That's right, someone will come to our house today," Reborn said.

"A friend of Reborn-kun and Natsu-kun will be staying with us for a while," Nana informed.

Tsuna didn't need to be informed. Daemon had contacted her yesterday saying that the Ranking Prince was coming earlier than expected, and that he will be under the Candidate Vongola Decimo's care. Of course, she has met the Ranking Prince before, but the two of them knew the consequences should they discover another side of her. She smiled with glee instead, "Well! I have my work cut out for me! I will make some Italian dishes for lunch then!"

"I'll help you with the groceries later, Tsu-chan," Nana offered.

Tsuna smiled, "That would be great!" she replied.

Natsuki sighed at the two women of the family talk about various Italian dishes and their opinions on cooking it and what ingredients are available on the Supermarket. Reborn noticed the boy sigh. "You should be grateful that they don't question who are coming in this house Natsuki. They are happy enough to welcome them into the family," he said as he munched at his omelet.

"They are enthusiastic when it comes to cooking…" Natsuki commented. "Maybe Mom's genes is getting the best of her,"

"If you ask her, it's better than getting the genes of your father," Reborn said.

Natsuki knew what he meant. She has confirmed from his first day in school that she was not very fond of Iemitsu. But that was his own fault, not Natsuki's. As far as it goes, he will enjoy every little time with his sister like this while she is still oblivious to the mafia. Of course, he has no plan in taking her obliviousness away.

…

After two hours, Tsuna and Nana went to the Supermarket to cook some Italian cuisine for lunch. Fifteen minutes after that, the doorbell rang. Natsuki knew who it is. He got off the couch at the living room and opened the door, to see a young boy of ten with brownish blond hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a scarf around his neck, green sweater and khaki pants, sneakers, and with him were his luggage and the large Ranking Book.

"Fuuta, glad you made it," he said with glee.

"Thanks for having me, Natsuki-nii." He said with a smile as he went inside the house.

Natsuki then showed him to the guest room besides Bianchi. Even though their house didn't look much from the outside, the house actually has five bedrooms, with the master's bedroom for Nana, and the two other rooms for Natsuki and Tsuna.

It was then when Fuuta arrived at his room did his ranking skills acted up. The room lost its gravity and the furniture floated along with Natsuki, Reborn and Bianchi. "Out of 5,342,345 safe havens for Mafiosi, the Sawada Household is the Number one house for me to take refuge in…"

Natsuki sweat dropped at the ranking. But the boy continued, "Out of every women here in Namimori, the Number One cook is Sawada Nana and Sawada Tsunarumi in a tie, following that is Ieyatsu Nami…"

The boy knew that to be Giotto's mother.

"Hibari Kyouya is the most feared teenager in Namimori, and the strongest teenager…" Fuuta then continued, "Aside from that, Hibari Kyouya ranks number five as one of the most secretive romantic boyfriends when it comes to dates and anniversaries…and Hibari Alaude ranks number four…"

Now Natsuki's eyes almost fell on its sockets, "Hibari is the WHAT?"

"That's completely unexpected now, is it?" Reborn said with amusement in seeing his student make a stupefied face.

"In Namimori, the number one persuasive mother is Sawada Nana…"

"What does that have to do with it?" Natsuki wondered.

…

At Namimori Supermarket at the Pet food section, the Hibari brothers sneezed. "Now I wonder who is talking about us…" Alaude wondered.

Kyouya shrugged as he took the bird seed pack and placed it in the trolley full of groceries. Even though they have maids to do the general shopping, there are times when the brothers go to the supermarket to buy some specific things, "Who cares?" he said as the two went to the meat section for venison, where they saw some unexpected people. There taking some sirloin are the Sawada mother and daughter.

Tsuna was the first one to notice them and smiled, "Kyouya, Alaude-san!" she called. Nana also looked in her direction.

"Ara Kyou-kun, Alaude-kun," she greeted.

The twins bowed at Nana, "It's nice to see you again, Nana-san," Alaude and Kyouya said in unison.

"Sawada-san makes me feel old. I thought told the two of you to call me Mama instead," she insisted. "After all, Kyou-kun will soon be my son as well."

Tsuna and Kyouya turned beet red and looked away, while Alaude smirked. "Mom," Tsuna called.

"Oh that's right, why don't the two of you come over for dinner tonight?" she offered. "The two of you rarely come over at the house now,"

The brothers looked at each other, and both nodded, "Of course we would be happy to…Mama…" Kyouya said while blushing. Tsuna and Alaude were close to giggling, but they figured that would be quite unfair for the prefect. There are a few things that Kyouya is weak at, and one of them is the persuasive Sawada matriarch.

Nana clasped her hands in delight, "Well there we have it! We'll go Italian for lunch and Japanese style for dinner!" she decided.

"Mom…" Tsuna said exasperated.

Alaude then looked at Tsuna and Nana, "Then, we will meet you tonight at seven?" he asked.

"That would be wonderful," Nana replied, before she hooked her arm around Tsuna's. "Well then Tsu-chan, we need to pick up some more ingredients for tonight~! See you boys~!" she said with a bright smile while pulling Tsuna from the brothers.

Before they left completely, Alaude called for her, "Oh, and Tsunarumi, be sure to secure a good ingredient," Tsuna's eyes sharpened at the code. She has some work to do.

The Hibari twins just waved weakly until the two were out of sight. Alaude smirked, "Well, that is one way to make you go to a dinner while crowding, and a way to turn you red, Kyouya," he teased.

Kyouya grunted, "Shut up."

Tsuna sighed as she looked at her mother picking up some wasabi paste. "Mom, why did you invite Kyouya and Alaude-san to dinner, knowing that Natsuki couldn't stand him despite their cease fire?" she wondered.

Nana smiled at her daughter, "Well, it's not everyday we invite him to the house. You did say that his hives would only act up when there are more than fifteen people in the vicinity, and it's just us there." She reasoned. "Besides, I could tell that they hadn't had a family dinner for a long time…"

Tsuna knew how perceptive she could be when it comes to that department. True Alaude and Kyouya's parents were barely home because of their business trips, and thus they learned to be distant from people. But she knew that the twins accepting the offer had something more in meaning.

…

By the time the two got back, Fuuta was already in the living room playing some board game with Natsuki, which the blond was loosing. He might be good in academics and sports, but when it comes to board games, or as he called it, games that uses brains, he was a total loser.

"Ah, so the visitor is already here," Tsuna said as she looked at the two playing.

Nana greeted Fuuta, "My, what a cute boy!"

Fuuta stood up and bowed to the two, "My name is Fuuta, nice to meet you, Sawada-san, Tsunarumi-san,"

Tsuna smiled. "And polite too~ call me Tsuna-nee,"

"And call me Mama," Nana insisted.

Natsuki watched as the two women fussed over the ten year-old. Reborn smirked, "Jealous of the attention?"

Natsuki scoffed, "Jealousy is childishness,"

"But you're childish," Reborn said.

The blond grunted, "Exactly…"

Yep. He was jealous of the attention. But he wasn't going to tell them that.

"Oh and by the way," Nana informed, "Kyou-kun and Alaude-kun are coming over for dinner tonight!" she informed.

Natsuki choked on his own spit, "What? Why?" he demanded.

Tsuna smiled apologetically, "We ran into them and Mom persuaded them to have dinner with us tonight," she explained.

Nana smiled, "Well, it's been a while since they last came over at the house, and I missed the compliments of Alaude-kun on our cooking," she replied. "Didn't you already have a cease fire with him Natsu-kun?"

"Yes…" Natsuki replied.

"Then it's fine~" Nana said. "Now we better get this cooking Tsu-chan,"

"Yes~!" Tsuna replied.

Fuuta looked at Natsuki, "Like I said Natsuki-nii, Mama is the number one persuasive mother in Namimori," he informed.

Natsuki covered his face with his hand while leaning in the couch, "What else is new?" he wondered to no one in particular.

Fuuta didn't get it and opened the Ranking book, "Well, there is the new record for the clumsiest boss,"

"No way, someone is now clumsier than the Tomaso boss?" Natsuki demanded.

Fuuta nodded, "The boss of the Cavallone Family, Dino, rises from number two to number one, due to the fact that the Tomaso boss got sent to military school this month," he informed.

"Dino-san…?" Natsuki said sweat dropping. "I figured as much…"

Reborn sighed, "He never changes, does he…?" the baby said, exasperated by the news about his former student. Well at least the Tomaso boss with bad taste in women is being geared into shape in the military school. He then turned to Fuuta, "So Fuuta, have you any information about the _Sentinella_?"

Natsuki recognized that name anywhere, "You mean that Espionage Branch of Vindice that only returned to the picture a few years ago?"

Reborn nodded. "I don't know what's going on at _Sentinella_, choosing to get the spy organization out of the shadows again, but speculations are it helps with several investigations. The new one who leads it is still unknown, but rumors are spreading that the leader was once in line of a mafia family who got replaced by a younger sibling. Their family failed to see the leader's potential, but Bermuda did," he informed.

"I only have one update for that, I'm afraid…" Fuuta said. "It appears that _Sentinella_ only has less than twenty elite members, because the choosing process is tight," he stated. "They only recruit the best of the best…and the ones close to the leader,"

"Not much to go on with her identity…" Natsuki muttered.

Fuuta frowned, "I'm sorry about this Reborn-san…" he apologized. He couldn't just blurt out the secrets of _Sentinella_, and the fact that their leader was none other than the older Sawada twin. It just doesn't work that way.

"No. the limit of knowledge in this case is no fault of anyone. _Sentinella _is as elusive as Vindice…" Reborn muttered.

"Lunch time~!" Tsuna called them half an hour later.

What greeted them in the dining table is a wonderful display of Italian cuisine. There were different kinds of food that Natsuki recognized back at the Vongola Castle, and he couldn't wait to taste the food that his mother and sister prepared for them.

"Wow! Mama and Tsuna-nee makes a good cooking pair!" Fuuta said. "Their combined cooking skills prove to be number one in the entire Namimori!"

Tsuna smiled, knowing that the boy was telling the truth about the ranking. "Why thank you Fuuta-kun, wait until you taste Japanese style food for tonight~" she said.

"Then I would be waiting!" Fuuta replied enthusiastically.

As usual, Natsuki was feeling a little childish jealousy. Hibari was right about his Sister Complex that sounded like a disease.

…

Nightfall came, and Kyouya's hand was twitching with nervousness as the two walked towards the Sawada Household. Alaude has been seeing his brother locking himself up in the training room, and it didn't take a genius to know that he was nervous of the visit.

"Why are you so nervous?" he teased.

It was rare for Kyouya to be open, but he decided to let it out for the sake of him calming down, "It's been a while since I last visited the house," he admitted.

"Well, it has been a while, and some additional people will be there, including the Ranking Prince that we had met when all of us went to that _Summer Camp_ last year," the summer camp was merely an excuse for all of them to venture off into Italy, all expenses paid, so that they could carry out some orders from Vindice that the mafia world didn't see coming. They had been on a lot of places, and perchance, saw the Ranking Prince in Rome who was ranking out the most beautiful sculptures displayed there from fountains to statues.

"I see…" Kyouya replied. "But if the people there are fifteen or more, I'm going home,"

Alaude knew he would say that, so he took out a tube, "Don't worry, your cream for the hives is in my pocket," he assured.

They arrived at the gates of the Sawada Household and rang the doorbell. Tsuna was the one who answered it. "You made it!" she said with glee as she opened the gates.

"We couldn't pass off a good Japanese style meal now, could we?" Alaude said as the three went inside.

Tsuna laughed, "I know you don't," she said.

When they entered, Fuuta then greeted them. "Fuuta, this is Hibari Alaude and Hibari Kyouya," she introduced.

"Ah! Now I can see why Tsuna-nee's personal rankings placed him on the top spot of 'Special People' ranking." Fuuta said absentmindedly.

Tsuna turned beet red, "Fuuta-kun!" she said in embarrassment.

Nana appeared at the dining room, "Welcome Alaude-kun, Kyou-kun! Come inside~" she instructed.

Fuuta was the first one to enter, then Tsuna and the brothers. When they got inside the dining room, everyone was already seated. Reborn and Bianchi were seated at the right, while Natsuki was across Bianchi. Tsuna instructed the two to their seats. Alaude was seated beside Natsuki, while Kyouya was seated next to his brother at the edge, and just beside where Tsuna is sitting. Nana was seated across her.

The food was prepared very traditionally, unlike the preparation back at lunch. The moment everyone tasted the cooking, they were amazed by how skillful it was made.

Alaude looked at Nana, "Your vegetables are as wonderful as ever, Nana-san," he commented.

Kyouya took a sip of the miso, "But the miso is Tsunarumi's preparation…" he classified.

Tsuna tilted her head, "What makes you say that?"

"You always put too much miso paste in the soup, while Mama's is just right," he commented.

Something in Natsuki got him ticked off. Did he just call his mother 'Mama'? When he looked in Tsuna's direction, he knew what he had thought of the moment Kyouya called their mother Mama, and her look indicated for him to live it down. Tsuna turned her attention back at Kyouya, "Mou, you always speculate every food I make…"

Kyouya smirked teasingly, "It's to assure that you are improving your cooking. You may be good in some of this, but when it comes to miso, you either lack the paste or add too much,"

Tsuna huffed playfully.

…

After dinner and helping out with the dishes, Alaude had excused him and Kyouya, since they have some schoolwork left to do. Nana was a little sad at this, but she understood. Tsuna offered to see them off.

"Well, this is an eventful day…" Tsuna said with a smile as the three of them exited the gates.

Alaude then turned to Tsuna, "We have received word from Irie. Here," he said as he handed her a note. The three of them sensed that the baby was nearby, spying, but they are not idiots to let him give themselves away. "Spanner wanted to thank you for helping him out with his robot experiment for the science fair," he made up.

Tsuna feigned a smile, "Well, I am a bit interested in a robot butler, and it could be good help inside the house…"

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Tsunarumi," he bid.

Tsuna nodded, "Get home safe," she said as the brothers left. She kept looking at them until they were out of sight. She smiled at them and went inside.

"They already left?" Natsuki asked.

Tsuna nodded. "I'll be in my room," she said as she rushed and locked her door. Flopping down the bed, and making sure that there were no spy cameras in sight, she got her special phone and pressed a button that released some airwaves that detects hidden cameras. Of course, there were at least six of them. They were cameras in the form of insects.

"What the hell are insects doing here in my room?" she acted. She rushed to her closet and took out some bug killers—that also destroys cameras—and white gloves, and opened her window and began spraying her room. Soon enough, she got rid of the 'insects' and chucked them out her window with some clicking sounds. She will have to deal with it later, but now, she had a letter to read.

She read the contents that came from the supercomputer of Irie. Of course, to keep things confidential, they created some signs of their own so that it wouldn't be read properly by other people:

_Tsuna, _

_Byakuran-san contacted me again and said that he has already met the Cavallone boss, Dino, in the Gesso family party that was held last night. Byakuran-san acted oblivious to Sentinella and asked the Cavallone hypothetically that should he be approached by a Sentinella agent, he replied that he would refuse any sort of aid from them, or they ask aid from us, be it in arms or knowledge, because no one knows what we are planning._

_The Cavallone boss will be arriving there, assisting a member of CEDEF with the name of Basil, a friend of your brother. Their estimated arrival will be tomorrow evening, but it will be prolonged if Superbi Squalo attacks them for the fake half rings that the CEDEF boy carries. _

_And another thing about your contact with the Varia, they are have already receive your reply letter concerning their request. And another thing, it appears that they had used the Gola Mosca that they had once bought from Spanner's father along with his prototype. They are making some sort of plan concerning the battery. _

_Irie Shouichi_

Tsuna sighed as she folded the paper again. "So the plan will be put into motion huh…?" she muttered. _'I guess I have no choice then…'_

...

Reborn sighed as his spy flies were destroyed after Tsuna shot them the bug killer. He found it quite confusing since he knew that his bugs will not get affected by a common bug killer. But woe, she had probabl used a more powerful can of bug killer if it was enough to destroy his spy flies and chucked them out of the window. He was glad that she didn't even take a second glace when she heard some small faint clangs for his flies were made of metal at most. But to think that she would just chuck those things away without noticing that they were mechanical was a surprising thing for him. For Tsuna to disregard the fact that they were mechanic was something of an oddity. Unless she already knew they were, but that was impossible. She still needs to pick up some data concerning her. She has become a difficult puzzle ever since he met her personally.

Sure Iemitsu has been talking about her said 'cuteness' but he never mentioned anything about her abilities, but he supposed the man doesn't know a thing about it. He will just have to see what he can take in as things concerning his student progresses.

**Hmm…suspicions arises and the main plot is in motion! I'm loving this flow. I don't know about you guys, but this is getting to be serious in a matter of chapters. **

**NEXT CHAPTER: Namimori Shopping District Mayhem!**

**REVIEW!**


	12. Namimori Shopping District Mayhem!

**Whoa, who would have thought a lot would like the previous chapter because of my 18FEM27? It makes me very happy! Well, Fuuta is the last one of the sub characters to appear in my fic, and others will be shown based on my liking. **

**Oh, and some of you are asking for Tsuna to go into action, but I have to tell you that it would be a **_**long**_** while before you can see her fight. You see, I have been modifying her skills, since this is an AU fic. And another thing, **_**Sentinella**_** is the branch of Vindice whose main purpose is information gatherers and keepers meaning, espionage is their main work and no, they are not a mafia family. You can compare them to CIA if you want. More information will be revealed on the following chapters, so just wait. If you're reading the manga's recent chapters, ignore that while reading my fic. Lastly, I type it in italics because I like to! (Stupid thought)**

**We're now going to the main plot of this fic. **

**ENJOY!**

**Chapter 12 Namimori Shopping District Mayhem!**

Tsuna and Giotto were at the rooftop early in the morning before the meeting. "So they really did that?" Giotto said in shock.

Tsuna nodded. "I don't know what they are planning to gain besides the rings to do that kind of feat, but what's done is done. The Varia has requested for it, and I gave them one single task for _Sentinella_ to meddle into the family affairs, but considering what has transpired before the group requested it, their doing just made it all the more clear that _Sentinella_ will be severely involved in all this," she answered.

Her cousin looked warily at her, "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked.

Tsuna looked at the road through the fence, "If I don't…things would be disastrous…" she reasoned. "And I don't even want to think of the consequences that will arise should the worst case scenario happens…the Ninth could be in danger if I don't move fast,"

"What about Natsuki and the others? They would be torn the moment they discover what you have decided, even though this is part of your plan, the most affected would be the ones closest to you," he reasoned.

Tsuna glared but not sharply, "Don't you think I know that? If I want this to succeed, I have to do things that they would not expect me to do. That goes with my decision in keeping them in the dark," she replied sternly.

Giotto sighed, "Still, what would Bermuda-sama do if…"

"Bermuda-sama gave me permission that I could do as I please with this task. Just until I have fulfilled my objective, I will have no more worries about this matter for the rest of my life. I have no intention to die." Tsuna cut off. "Please, just trust me on this Giotto-nii. I know what I'm doing,"

Giotto looked into the eyes of her once weak cousin. To say that she has improved was an understatement. But he couldn't help but worry about her at times, since her own brother doesn't even know what Tsuna has gotten herself and her friends into in the course of four years. He sighed in frustration, "I'll prepare your usual room at my place, just in case Basil arrives with Iemitsu-jiisan," he said in finality.

Tsuna smiled, "Thanks for understanding Giotto-nii," she thanked.

Giotto smiled back and ruffled her hair, "You're the only one who could persuade me in doing this Tsuna," he said. "Well then, we better get moving in the office. After all, school ends at twelve o'clock sharp, so we can go to the Shopping District later with the other guys," he said as he left the rooftop with Tsuna in tow.

"Can we go to the arcade and the sweet shop? I'll call Haru-chan. Her classes today are cancelled," she said.

Giotto laughed. "Whatever you say," he replied.

…

The moment Natsuki woke up, he felt something unpleasant. His phone was ringing like crazy. Groggily, he sat up and answered the phone, "Natsuki here…" he yawned, letting the other line know that he was sleeping.

"Natsuki," a familiar voice said.

Natsuki's eyes widened, "Dad? What made you call?" he wondered.

"I'm coming home today with Basil and Dino," he informed.

The thought of seeing the student of his Dad and his big brother figure brought him a smile, but he got out of that delight when his thoughts returned that their father would come home after five years, which he believes, that Tsuna will not appreciate. "What? Why so sudden?" he wondered.

"There has been some trouble. I'll tell you personally when I get there. Tell your sister that I'm coming home to talk to her," his father instructed.

Natsuki scratched his head, "Yeah…well about that…she already left an hour ago for school," he said. _'Not to mention she doesn't want to see your face, but you had to learn it the hard way,'_ he added as an afterthought.

"Why so early?" he wondered.

"Find out for yourself. Nee-san doesn't want me telling people," he explained.

"But I'm her father," he reasoned.

"No special treatments Dad. She really means it," he said.

He heard a sigh from the other line. He must have thought that Tsuna is being difficult when it comes to him and is throwing a tantrum, but Natsuki knew better. She would throw a deadly fit once she finds out that he will be coming home without her knowing at all. He could already guess what will transpire if the two see each other face to face, and it would _definitely _not be pretty. "Can you at least keep her safe until we get there?" he asked.

"I'll do what I can," Natsuki promised before he hung up.

He sighed in frustration as he flopped back down on his bed. His father was coming home after _five_ years, and he knew that his sister won't like it that he was going home with no notice. Maybe he should ask Giotto to let her stay in his place for a while…but that would be intruding. He will just have to find a way before his sister explodes by the sight of their father.

"Had a talk with your father I see," Reborn said looking down from his hammock.

Natsuki sighed, "He's coming home today, and I don't know how to break it to my sister. And now Dad wants to talk to her…maybe he is planning on telling her everything before the whole ring fiasco gets out of hand…" he then grunted, "But I know how much Nee-san hates Dad right now, maybe even beyond my imagination, but the hell! How am I going to tell her?"

Reborn knew that Natsuki was getting frustrated by the second, but he has to solve this on his own.

When Natsuki came down, Nana smiled enthusiastically, "Natsu-kun~ oh what wonderful news, your father is coming home!"

Well at least his mother is happy about it. "Dad just called me this morning too," he said.

Then Nana became sad so suddenly. "Mama? Is there something wrong?" Fuuta wondered.

Nana shook her head, "I'm just a little bit worried on what Tsu-chan's reaction will be…I could tell that she is not on good terms with her father ever since he took Natsu-kun away five years ago…"

"I think I'll talk to her Mom," Natsuki said. "Well, I'll try not to make her explode, but you get the idea,"

Nana smiled, "Thank you Natsu-kun," she said and stood up from the table to give Natsuki his share of breakfast, "Here, Tsu-chan prepared something extra special for behaving last night while Kyou-kun was here," she said as she handed him a large tuna omelet. Natsuki's mouth watered. If this was the reward in behaving around the prefect, then he would do it anytime!

…

After classes have ended, Natsuki and Fran didn't expect Tsuna to be waiting outside their classroom. "Nee-san, what are you doing here?"

Tsuna smiled, "Well, I wanted to ask the two of you if you want to come with us to Namimori Shopping District," she said, "Don't worry, Kyouya won't be there because of the crowd," she informed. "We're going for some arcades and sweets,"

Fran's eyes lit up at the sweets part, "I'm coming," he said.

"But…" Natsuki muttered. He still hadn't dropped the bomb on her yet.

"Kyoko-chan and a friend from Midori will be there~" she bribed.

Natsuki blushed at the name of the apple of his eye. Even though they only perchance saw each other because of his constant visits to the SC office, he couldn't help but blush at her name. "Okay…"

"Then let's go!" she said as she pulled the two. Natsuki wondered where that strength came from.

Natsuki was quite surprised at the group that Giotto all but invited in the Shopping District. When he meant everyone, he meant his entire team of guardians minus Hibari, and Mukuro's _minions_ excluding Fran, and a girl from Midori Middle School, Miura Haru. Alaude was also there, keeping a close eye on Giotto. He had a tendency to get lost in the district.

"Where do you want to go Tenth?" Gokudera wondered.

"Arcade!" Natsuki answered. He will just have to make the most of things right now, and tell his sister later on that their father was coming home.

But that all ended too soon. After winning in a racing game, Tsuna pulled him off of the other boys and dragged him to the sweet shop where Kyoko, Haru and Fran were waiting. Fran was only after blueberry cakes and anything that has to do with it, so he tagged along.

He couldn't believe his ears when the girls were talking about different kinds of cakes so specifically. Most of the time, he doesn't even care about the names of the confectionaries as long as they taste good in his palette.

As Tsuna pointed at the cakes innocently, Natsuki got to her, "Nee-san…"

Tsuna stood up properly, "Yes Natsuki?"

"Um…hypothetically…how would you feel about Dad coming back to the house?" he asked.

Tsuna's eyes seemed to darken at the mention of their father. "If you must know, I would speed dial Giotto-nii and stay with him until he goes," she said. It was the best she could come up with. But she knew that Natsuki was going in for the kill.

"The thing is Nee-san…" he fidgeted, "Dad's coming home today,"

As fast as he said that, an explosion outside was heard. All of them turned to the source and saw a long haired man with a sword and a boy with blue flames coming out of his forehead was seen. Tsuna immediately went outside, while the girls and Fran remained intact. Natsuki followed her sister.

At the sight, Natsuki almost pulled his hair off. _'Why is the Varia after Basil? Better yet, _what_ are they doing here?'_ he thought to himself.

"What the hell is this?" Tsuna's voice rang. "Is this some kind of Yakuza war or something?" she wondered.

Natsuki grabbed her shoulder, "Nee-san, get out of here with the others quick! This place is dangerous," he said.

Tsuna frowned at that, "What do you mean? You're not coming with me?"

"I need to find Gokudera and the others. Stay hidden for me, please Nee-san," he pleaded.

Tsuna was about to refuse when someone came behind them, "Natsuki is right Tsunarumi-chan, you really should hide," both turned to see a blond man of twenty-two with a whip. He wore a jacket over a black shirt and pants.

"Dino-san!" Natsuki shouted.

"A friend of yours, Natsuki?" Tsuna asked while not liking the fact that he added a –chan honorific on her full name. From the blond's tattoo, she could guess very well that he was none other than the Cavallone Decimo, the Bucking Horse Dino.

Before he could answer, the brown haired boy crashed just a few feet behind them, just beside the sweet shop. Both Tsuna and Natsuki were relieved when they found three of their friends already out of that scene before the boy crashed.

"Basil!" Natsuki shouted as the twins went to him.

Basil grunted as he tried to regain his posture when he saw two people coming for him. He recognized the spiky blond hair anywhere, "Natsuki-dono!" he said in a panic.

'_If this kid is here, and Squalo is here…that means along with that man's return are the…' _Tsuna thought.

Basil took out a box from his jacket, "Master wants you to have this," he said quickly, "Do not allow him to acquire this!" he said before passing out as Natsuki took the box.

"VOI! What is this? The Vongola brat is here all along?" a man with long white hair who was carrying a sword appeared out of the blue. "I suggest giving me that box or someone gets hurt!" he threatened.

"Natsuki, Tsuna!"

"Tenth, Hime-sama!"

Yamamoto and Gokudera arrived at the scene just in time. Yamamoto had his sword ready while Gokudera prepared to ignite his bombs when the need arises.

Tsuna was still in the middle of acting, "What is going on here?!" she demanded. "And where are the others?"

"Giotto-san and the rest are already headed to his place for some cover. You should follow suite too," Yamamoto suggested.

"What? I'm not leaving you guys behind here!" she protested.

Natsuki grabbed her arm, "No Nee-san, this is dangerous. Leave it to the guys," he said.

Tsuna twitched, "Hey! Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I'm a weakling!" she protested.

Natsuki was running out of ideas in keeping her away from the fight. One look at Basil and he got an idea, "Look Nee-san, I don't want you to think of us as sexists, but there is no other way. Take care of Basil until this is over. Dino-nii and his men will assist you in rushing him to the hospital. We'll talk about this later!"

Tsuna huffed. "Fine, but this talk isn't over!" she said as she heaved Basil and started to walk towards Dino. The man in turn, helped her carry the boy.

"Romario, prepare the car," he ordered.

Tsuna looked at the unconscious boy. "Is he going to be alright?" she wondered.

Dino looked at her with a smile, "He's just out of energy. He'll be fine with the proper medication. Do you think you can give him first aid while rushing him to the hospital?" he asked.

Tsuna nodded, "Of course, I'm not that idiotic on not to give him one," she retorted as they took Basil inside the car. She ignored the shocked look Dino shot her for her retort. She had to show that she was not the weakling that they thought she was.

As the car left, Tsuna carefully tended to Basil's wounds with the first aid kit that was under the backseat of the car. Romario looked at the girl as she skillfully applied him with medicine and bandage. "You seemed to be good in doing this, Sawada-san,"

Tsuna nodded, "I had to learn to do this, what with all the bullying I had been through when I was ten. And then I had to really learn the first aid when I started training," she informed as she snapped the last bandage and kept the kit. "Will my brother and friends be alright?" she asked.

"Not to worry. Boss is there to assist them," he assured.

"I guess so…" she said, but she couldn't ignore the fact that she was getting worried about her brother and her friends. Yamamoto and Gokudera could hold their own, but they were under strict orders on not to show off their skills too much or they'll risk getting in danger.

When they arrived at the hospital, Basil was immediately admitted to a room where Tsuna watched over him while she watched the news. This was not a day that she was expecting. As usual, the news gave nothing off and made it pass off as a rare gang war, in which she knew, Kyouya would not be happy of. He was aware that she was there with the others and in no time at all…

_Tsuna! Tsuna!_

A ringtone of Hibird vibrated on her phone. She knew who the call was from. "Kyouya?"

"Tsunarumi, Where are you right now?" he demanded. She could tell that he was dead worried.

"I'm at Namimori Hospital, but it's not what you think. One of Natsuki's friends, Basil, is in here and I helped send him here," she informed.

There was a relieved sigh on the other line. Her boyfriend was frantic when it comes to her. "That's good. If anything happens to you, I'm blaming all of this to Kaichou and your brother,"

"Kyouya, I believe pandemonium is beginning here in Namimori," she informed.

"If that's the case, then your brother better fix it before I destroy his face," he dared.

Tsuna laughed lightly, "I'll keep that in mind. I'm going to Giotto-nii's place later after I get some stuff back at home,"

"Be safe Tsunarumi," he bid and hung up.

Tsuna sighed as she pocketed her phone. This was not her day. It made her sad that she has ticked off the worry meter of her boyfriend recently, and that he was constantly worried about her than ever before ever since Natsuki and Reborn arrived home. It had only been three weeks, and things were already going out of hand…

The door opened revealing Dino and Natsuki who had some patches on his face. "Natsuki!" she said in shock, "What happened to you? Where's Yamamoto and Gokudera?" she wondered.

"Gokudera and Yamamoto already headed at Giotto-nii's place. They said that they would meet up with you there later before heading home…" he informed.

Tsuna wanted him to cut to the chase, "Natsuki, what exactly happened there? Don't tell me it's nothing, because it involved fighting with _real_ weapons. Tell me _now_."

The boy seemed to shiver at the sound of her voice, "There was…um…"

Dino sighed, "They were after the box Basil has," he said.

Tsuna looked at the older man, "What is in that box anyways?"

"The box carries seven precious rings that were tasked to be handed to Natsuki," he informed.

"But Squalo took it anyways…" Natsuki said dejectedly.

Dino showed off his sunny smile, "Don't worry, I got the real ones here!" he said as he took out the box that looked the same as what Basil had handed to Natsuki.

Tsuna knew that it was the Vongola half-rings. The other half must be in the hands of the Varia right about now. "What is that for anyway? And will they find out that the one they took are fakes?"

Dino looked at Tsuna, "You're smarter than you let on Tsunarumi-chan. The use for that is confidential. As for them discovering its authenticity, let's give them a maximum of ten days,"

"Ten days? That's too soon!" Natsuki complained.

"That is enough time," Reborn's voice said as he appeared at the doorway.

"Reborn, nice to see you again," Dino greeted.

"You know him Reborn?" Tsuna asked.

"A clumsy idiotic former student of mine," Reborn replied.

Dino smiled, ignoring his former tutor's insults. "We're not properly introduced, I'm Dino, and I stood as a big brother to Natsuki while he was in Italy,"

At that moment, there was one thing that registered in Tsuna's mind. "No wonder Natsuki got clumsier than me…" An arrow seemed to hit Reborn's students, much to her amusement. She then remembered her main task of the day, "Anyway, is it alright if I take Natsuki with me for a while? We need to head home to get my things. I'm staying at Giotto-nii's place for the time being," she said as she dragged Natsuki out of the room.

Dino and Reborn looked at the twins. "If you ask me, Tsunarumi-chan is more than meets the eye…she's quite interesting…" he mused.

"Too bad she's not the chosen one," Reborn stated.

"Will Iemitsu really tell her the truth right now?" the blond asked.

Reborn sighed, "If she gets a hold of her temper and resentment towards Iemitsu, I guess that is a possibility. We will know when she gets home. Iemitsu arrived an hour ago,"

"This is not going to be off to a good start is it?"

"Whoever said there was a good start in their relationship?"

**And we stop here! I was going to let Tsuna fight at first, but that was just giving herself away. Don't worry though. More action will come starting from here. **

**REVIEW!**


	13. To Hate a Father

**Dang it! I knew I shouldn't have updated this while I'm half asleep...**

**I updated just this afternoon while taking a nap for a stupid whim, and you can guess that it went on terribly. Sorry for my mistake! I was just sleepy at that time and I didn't check it until evening at our country. **

**On the other hand...**

**It's nice to know that everyone is enjoying themselves with my fic~! I have to tell you, this is my best one yet, observing the story favorites and followers. **

**Now, onto the next chapter! This time we will have a slight Iemitsu bashing. Truth be told, I do hate people like that if you set aside their main motives, but oh well, that's life.**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 13 To Hate a Father**

The moment the twins were outside, Tsuna stopped abruptly.

"What is it Nee-san?" Natsuki asked.

As soon as he asked, he felt a killing aura around his sister, making him step back at once in fear. His sister was in an instant bad mood, and he knew why. He also felt the presence of their father inside the house. It was _not_ a good sign. He should have bought those earmuffs in the store earlier if he knew that his father was going to be home ahead of them.

"Are you...okay…?" he asked again.

Tsuna's head was bent down, hands into fists as she suppressed her rage, "I'm…_not_ fine…" she heaved a sigh, "Let's just get this over with," she decided as she went ahead of him. Now Natsuki was _terrified _on what will happen once his sister gets inside the house.

"We're home!" Tsuna shouted.

They didn't expect Nana to run from the living room and hug the living daylights out of them, literally, "Oh my babies! I saw the news and I was worried! Gio-kun said that you were okay but I was still worried! I was relieved when Reborn-kun called to say that you were on your way home, but I was still worried because he said that Natsu-kun had a few scratches!"

"M-Mom…c-can't b-breathe…!" the two said in unison.

Nana realized what she was doing and quickly released her twins, who had blue faces as they tried to catch their breaths. "Sorry dears…" she apologized.

The two snapped out of it and smiled. "It's okay…" Tsuna replied. "But I'm afraid Natsuki had some scratches because of me…" she stated.

Natsuki shook her head, "Not at all! I had to keep you out of that gang war," he excused.

"What gang war?" a man's voice asked as a figure went out of the living room. It was at that moment when the place dropped several degrees. There standing at the living room doorway was a blond man in anorange jumpsuit and white tank top.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Tsuna demanded out of the blue, shocking the three. Her eyes were screaming bloody murder with its caramel hues turning stormy.

Iemitsu kept his ground. "Can't I go home?" he asked.

Tsuna's face showed fury and promised hell as she balled her hands into fists, teeth gritting irritated. "You have no right to call this your _home_ when you don't even come backhere for _years_!" she said as she stormed upstairs.

Nana looked at the path her daughter went worriedly; already knowing that she was not too happy about her father's homecoming.

"I'll talk to her," Iemitsu said as he went upstairs.

Nana was about to stop her husband when Natsuki pulled her wrist gently, "Mom, let them talk," he advised. "I know that Nee-san hates Dad to the bones, and this is the only chance for her to let her frustrations out," he insisted.

Nana frowned, "I guess you're right. You know, when she was having a fever, she let out her rage towards her father once, but I didn't want to bring the subject up," she informed.

"Then this is the only way to let it out completely," Natsuki said.

…

Tsuna barged into her room without the thought of closing the door when she took her duffel bag and went to her closet to grab her clothes that she will bring at Giotto's place. She was aware that her father was standing at her doorway.

"Tsuna, I need to talk to you," he said plainly.

Tsuna stopped her packing, "About what? About how you took Natsuki out of the country leaving us here _without any contact for five years_?" she spat out.

Iemitsu frowned, "That is no way to talk to a father Tsunarumi,"

Tsuna scoffed, "You lost your right to be called_myfather_ when you ignored us the moment you left with Natsuki without proper explanation! How could you call yourself a father? _Worthless_ bastard," she said as she continued to pack.

"I had to keep you safe," he insisted.

Tsuna knew the confession was coming, "For what? Whatever it is, I'm not interested in hearing it!"

Iemitsu had no choice, "I'm in the mafia," Tsuna stopped packing, "And Natsuki as well,"

'_He's got guts,'_ Tsuna thought as she looked at her father and smirked, "Took you a _long time_ to admit that,"

To say the least, Iemitsu was shocked that his daughter didn't even flinch for a second at the word 'mafia.' "Y-You know?"

Tsuna grabbed her shirts, "I've known for a _longtime_. Say four years? That's what you get for leaving me curious on your _real_ work. You don't think I would buy the _crap_ that you work overseas in constructions in oil rigs, now do you? If so, then you're an _idiot_. Who do you think you're talking to?" she said with a malicious smile. "It took me a while to know that you are the External Adviser of the Vongola, and that Natsuki is the Candidate for the position of Vongola Decimo, just because you thought that I am unfit to take the job myself. For shame, you don't even have any _faith_ in a _daughter_." She shrugged, "Whatever. I don't care anymore."

"Then what have you been doing for the past four years?" Iemitsu still demanded some answers, and Tsuna was more than willing to tell him.

"Like I said, I tried finding out about you, and the hell you do behind our backs. I also trained with someone to get myself in shape and leave who I was when I was just a _worthless_ kid. All the while, I grew _hating_ you for leaving me in the dark, while I fended for myself when some thugs tried to kidnap me," she cackled in her head when she saw her father's eyes widened, but he didn't interrupt her, "That's right. I believe information was _slightlyleaked_ three years ago and they found out that Natsuki had an older twin who is weaker than him. If it weren't for that person who helped me, I would have been dead three years ago," she said as she zipped her bag, "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be staying at Giotto-nii's place," she said as she left the room.

Iemitsu grabbed her wrist, "Who helped you find things out?" he demanded.

Tsuna smirked as she pulled her wrist away from him with great force, "That is none of your business." She said as she went down, but stopped, "Oh, and one more thing. Don't get me wrong, I love my brother, I just hate the fact that you are _turning_ him into someone like _you_ who abandons his own family for _that_ line of work," she said as she left.

A slam on the door was heard after she bid her mother and brother goodbye. Iemitsu stood at the top of the stairs. Natsuki emerged from the living room and went up the stairs, "I guess she managed to suppress her killing intent…" he commented.

"She knew…" Iemitsu muttered. Natsuki's head snapped to stare at his father, "She knew the truth all along," he said.

"What? You mean…she was pretending she knew nothing all along?" Natsuki said with worry.

"I don't know how much she knows, but she could be in danger because of it…" he muttered.

Natsuki sighed, "I won't be surprised if she knew _along_ the way. She's smarter than she looks, intuition-wise. But that aside, you know that it's your fault that she ended up hating you like that," he stated. His father looked at him. "I mean, I also didn't buy your job excuse when I asked because you kept changing the story, but the most affected one here is Nee-san, because all the time, you were with me and you spend less time with her. Another fact is that she has never heard of a construction worker in oil rigs who are gone for _months _and then _years_ just for that job. You could have made up a more concrete excuse than that line of work and still keep contact with them once a month,"

"They would have been in danger if I contact them," Iemitsu reasoned.

"You could have used different phones. If you love Mom and Nee-san, you wouldn't make them feel like you were ignoring them for work. Besides, who told you to be so good in your job anyway?" he reasoned.

Iemitsu looked at his son, "Do you hate me?" he asked.

Natsuki stared at him, "I hate what you are doing to Mom and Nee-san for making yourself distant to them, and for making _me_ distant to them. All these years, I thought Nee-san didn't change, but when I came home, I know that her change had been caused by you and me at one point. But still she showed me kindness, and I'm thankful that she didn't hate me as much as she hated you,"

"So you're telling me I have to sort this out myself?"

"Exactly,"

…

The moment Giotto heard the door slam open and close; he knew Tsuna was behind it. She appeared at the living room with the others looking at her, "I take it the talk with your father was not avoided?" he asked.

Tsuna growled as she flopped on the couch next to Kyoko. "How could it be avoided when he was already there by the time Natsuki and I got home? Besides, he already told me of the whole mafia thing, and I said that I had known all along,"

"What?" Giotto said in shock, and so did the others.

"Look, there is a reason why I said that, and it won't be long before the Varia knows it as well." Tsuna explained.

"But it could put you in grave danger," Kyoko said.

"Kyoko-chan is right desu!" Haru agreed. "You shouldn't put yourself in front of danger unless it is really necessary,"

"I know. But I have to take chances. It's the best we can do," Tsuna said as she covered her face with her hands. She then looked at Natsuki's guardians, "Head home right now. Reborn has made his move in going in your mail to give you the half rings. And please, stay in low profile. It would be advisable for you to start on your trainings right now before the whole of Varia arrives. Gokudera-kun, take Lambo home, Lampo is still in school," she instructed. "From this day forward, you are not to contact any of us until further notice, am I clear?"

Everyone looked at Tsuna dejectedly. They know what will come next after the Varia will come to pass, and they couldn't bear being away from their Hime-sama, but they had chosen to follow Natsuki (Except for Kyouya) willingly.

In a few minutes, they said their goodbyes until she and Giotto are the only ones left in the room.

At that moment, Tsuna relayed what happened in the Shopping District and the rest until she had gone at the house. Giotto listened intently, "So the Bucking Horse is in town. The conflict is more severe than we thought," he commented.

"And it won't be long before Xanxus discovers that the rings Squalo took are fakes…I bet by tomorrow, Reborn would be assigning them trainers to make each of them stronger if they need it…" she predicted.

"So to say, Reborn will start their trainings tomorrow and get them done before the Varia arrives…" Giotto summarized.

Tsuna smiled, "And I could only imagine who they will be,"

"Let me guess, you are dying to find out?"

Tsuna showed her sinister smirk, "You know me all too well,"

"What about your Dad?" Giotto asked. "They could try and talk to you in school, and I know that they would also try in coming here,"

Tsuna frowned, "My _Dad_ doesn't exist, just so you know. Although, a paternal DNA provider exists in place of that person. Besides, that's where _that plan_ comes in," she smirked, "Got the pills?"

Giotto took out a small bottle with pills, "Irie said to take them tonight, and sleep with no blankets. The effect will come in the morning,"

Tsuna took the bottle, smiling, "Perfect,"

…

That night, Natsuki had called Tsuna just when she was about to take the pills. Of course, she had to heed Irie's words to only take one tonight. The instructions were take them once a day, every night, and only stop when she wants to. Irie didn't order that randomly. They had done tests on her to see what type of pill would prove to be useful in her system, a dangerous plan, but it had to work. It took months to figure out what could affect her because of her strong immune system.

She looked at the modified phone (Courtesy of Irie and her tweaking) and it detected a third line, and she knew it to be her father. Now that was a surprise, but it could be the only way she could relay her feelings and resentments towards him while speaking to her twin.

"Natsuki, what made you call?" she wondered.

"So you are really staying at Giotto-nii's place? When are you planning to head home?"

"As soon as that man gets his ass out of the house, and I don't plan in speaking to him. I have had enough," Tsuna said.

There was silence in the line of her brother for a while, but he spoke afterwards, "So…Dad told me you already knew about it…"

Tsuna sighed, "I had to hide that fact so that you wouldn't worry about me Natsuki. Besides, I value my freedom in going anywhere as I please. I just don't want you to be in harm's way because of me," she explained.

"But Nee-san…are you mad at me and Dad…? Tell me honestly," he pleaded.

Tsuna sighed, "I'm not mad at _you_ Natsuki. I worry about you every single day that you are in Italy. Of course, I'm mad at the man who dares calls himself a _father_,"

"He never meant to involve us in the mafia if Nono's sons hadn't died…" Natsuki countered.

"The day we were born is the day he involved us into this!" Natsuki flinched on the other line, but she continued, "I don't know what Mom saw in him, but if you ask me, she should have chosen a man that wouldn't leave her side for months and years just for work. I know how it hurt Mom when he took you away to Italy, and I know her pain. If it were for me, I would prefer her being married happily to another man who doesn't value his _job_ more than his _family_…"

Natsuki stuttered at that, "Nee-san! How could you say such a thing?"

"I could say that because I understand Mom's pain. Maybe if she married a different man, she would have been happier in life than staying in the house, caring for her children and wondering what her husband is doing overseas for _work_ when in reality, he is in the battlefield risking his life, not caring how it would affect the most wonderful woman in the world. I have had it!" she explained.

Natsuki stayed silent. "If there is nothing more, I want to sleep right now, I'll see you tomorrow," Tsuna said in finality.

"Wait Nee-san-!" Natsuki started to say, but Tsuna hung up. She has had enough for today.

Another ring of her phone, she looked at the caller, and saw that it was Kyouya. "Hello?"

"Can you explain why a half ring is left on my desk, and a blond Italian herbivore came in the Reception Room and said that he is my _trainer_?" he demanded all out.

Tsuna smiled, "Wow, Reborn is fast. That is the half ring of the Vongola Cloud Ring. And the one who came to the Reception Room is none other than the Cavallone Boss, the Bucking Horse Dino,"

"Care to explain why?" he wondered.

"In ten days, there would be possibly an announcement of the Ring battles, and before that, Dino-san might plan in training you to defeat your opponent when it is your turn. You would understand when he tells you more. I don't have all the details," she informed.

Kyouya grunted, "So that means this Saturday is cancelled then," he decided.

Tsuna smiled weakly. She always looked forward to their Saturday dates, "I guess so…but I'll make it up to you after this," she promised.

"And I guess I'll miss my lap pillow," Tsuna blushed at this, when she has time, she always spends it with Kyouya with her as his lap pillow."Good night Tsunarumi," he bid.

Tsuna smiled, "Good night Kyouya," she said as she hung up.

Sighing, she took the pill and lay down with no blankets. In her thoughts were occurrences that were about to come true, and she was not liking it one bit.

…

Natsuki stared at his phone as he contemplated on what his sister has said. It was more troublesome and hurtful on his part, but on their father who was listening on a secret third line, it was very, very painful. For a daughter to hate her father to that extent, it could really kill you on the spot.

"Now see what kind of damage you did?" Reborn said who was seated on Natsuki's head.

Iemitsu closed his phone and grunted. "I didn't know she hated me in that way," he said.

"That's why the Ninth advised you to get a better excuse, but did you listen?" Reborn rubbed in.

"I know!" the man replied.

Natsuki looked at his father solemnly. "You should know that Nee-san is not like Mom in every aspect. She's not one to just take everything that is said to her. She has the Vongola blood after all,"

Iemitsu could only stay silent. He never meant to hurt his daughter in any way, especially his wife, but according to the words of his daughter, he had done both unconsciously. He though that by being distant, they would stay safe, but he didn't even think of their happiness. He admitted to himself that he spent too much time with Natsuki because he was the boy, and Tsuna was a girl. In truth, he doesn't even know how to spend time with a daughter. That was his gravest mistake, and he could never win her affections no matter how much he tried. Maybe he could get her forgiveness, but never her love.

'_I'm the most idiotic father in the world…'_

**Well, there you have it. I'm cutting it short for now since I am a little busy this month, and the fact that exams are brewing in on the second week of October and I hope to get better grades than I did last time. **

**See you next chapter~! REVIEW!**


	14. Sick and Tired

**So far so good! The flow of the story is still in my head, but I am considering in modifying the advanced chapters. Something keeps bugging me in the head, but then, when was I calm and satisfied? **

**Thank you for your kind reviews even though I posted the wrong chapter the first few hours. To make up for this, I'm updating early. **

**On to the chapter!**

**Chapter 14 Sick and Tired**

At the Ieyatsu household, a resounding sneeze interrupted the peaceful morning. Giotto, who is now eating breakfast, heard this. "So it did work," he muttered.

A maid then went to him, "Should we call the doctor for Tsunarumi-sama?"

Giotto waved it off, "No. I'll go and check on her. Prepare some extra boxes of tissues for her though," he instructed as he stood up and went to the guest room where Tsuna was staying.

The guest room was not too sophisticated, but it was very refined. The room was decorated with red velvet, and the bed was queen sized. It has its own tiled bathroom and a dresser, and across the door was a large balcony. The bed was situated at the right of the room. There lay a sickly loowking brunette who is now using up the first box of tissue.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Tsuna glared, "My eyes are bleary, I keep sneezing, I feel tired and my nose is runny_, do I look close to_ _okay_?" she demanded.

"Whoa, don't need to go on a mood swing with me. At least the pill worked. Now you just have to take it every night," he reminded.

Tsuna sniffed, "Now I remember why I don't want to get sick…" she muttered. "Could you text the others and tell of my condition? I don't have the energy…"

Giotto took out his phone, "Okay," He said as he texted away. It took a good three minutes to explain a lie before sending it to the people who are concerned, namely, Nana, Natsuki, the SC members, their older brothers and finally, Kyouya and Kusakabe.

A minute later, Giotto got a call from Nana, "How's my baby?" she asked frantically. "Tsu-chan has never been sick since she was nine!" she added.

"It's fine Nana-san. Tsuna has been stressed since yesterday, and she didn't sleep with a blanket,"

"Hey! I was dead tired!" Tsuna shouted groggily.

Giotto laughed lightly, "And now, she is in a fit of mood swings, sneezing and coughing…" he said as he looked at his cousin with thumbs up on the acting department, but the moment Tsuna stuck her tongue out, he realized that she wasn't acting at all.

Then Giotto heard some thumping sounds, and Natsuki's voice, "Mom! Nee-san got sick!" he informed.

"I know Natsu-kun, Gio-kun is on the phone right now," she informed her worried son.

"How is she?" he asked.

Nana pressed it on speakers, and Giotto answered for her, "Well, with mood swings, sneezing and coughing aside, nothing seems to be out of the ordinary. It has been six years since she got this sick," he informed.

"Stop saying that all over again!" Tsuna shouted at the line.

Giotto smiled, "I told you, mood swings. The worst symptom of her colds,"

"I'll come over later with her favorite mushroom soup, would that be alright?" Nana asked.

Giotto looked at Tsuna, "I want Mama and Mama's soup!" she wailed.

The blond sweat dropped. "That's a yes," Giotto replied. "I will instruct the staff to let you in when you arrive later. I'll put her to bed before I leave in a few minutes,"

Nana smiled. "Thank you Gio-kun. I'll be there after Natsu-kun gets to school,"

Giotto replied, "That would be good, thank you Nana-san," he then hung up. In a matter of seconds, there were messages from the people he sent the message to. The first message was from Gokudera, then at Yamamoto, followed by a frantic Kyoko and Haru, and the rest. He sighed; he has a _lot _of explaining to do when he gets to school.

"Are you going to be alright until your mom gets here?" he asked Tsuna.

"Yeah, leave me to my misery…" Tsuna replied as she flopped down on her pillows. "But I'm going to need more tissue boxes and larger garbage can…" she muttered.

Giotto sighed, "Well, this was your idea in the first place…I'll see you after school," he said and left her room. A sick Tsuna is never a good thing. There was a reason why Tsuna prevented herself not to get sick. It was because she becomes rather demanding on her needs—something that she never does when she is sane and healthy. A sick Tsuna could be everything a healthy Tsuna is not. And only Nana can manage to take care of her.

…

The moment he got to the school gates, Kyouya showed up in front of him, tonfa in tow and under his chin. "K-Kyouya! Don't be cranky in the morning!" he exclaimed.

Kyouya gave him a hard glare, "What happened at your house to get her _sick_?" he demanded.

Giotto panicked. "Look it wasn't me! You think you're the only one who lost a secretary for a few days? She complained about what happened to the talk between her and her dad, and then she fell asleep without her blanket with the air conditioner on maximum!" he made up.

Kyouya retracted his tonfas and grunted as he walked to the school. His guess, he had gone to the Reception Room, or beat up the students with minor offenses. Giotto just stared at the Head Prefect as he walked away. He sighed in relief that he didn't get any scratch from those painful metal tonfas of his.

"He's a bit hot tempered after finding out that Tsunarumi is sick, but don't worry, it's just him getting worried, and finding someone to blame this on," Alaude said from behind him. "It appears that the pills worked, didn't it?" he said that as a whisper.

Giotto nodded as the two went inside. "It did, and it was not fun seeing her so demanding when she is sick. You didn't tell anyone right?" he asked.

Alaude shook his head, "This matter about the cause is only known by us older brothers and cousins, plus Asari, Irie and Spanner. I know when to take orders from our leader," he commented. "And I know better than to tell Kyouya about it," he added.

Giotto heaved a deep sigh, "I guess you're right. He might probably kill Irie for giving her those cold pills." He said as he opened the door of the Student Council office. The moment he opened it though, he was bombarded with questions like:

"Is Hime-sama alright?"

"What happened yesterday to make her sick?"

"Will she be EXTREMELY sick the whole EXTREME week?"

"Did she already see a doctor?"

Among others, so Giotto inhaled and told them all, "She's going to be fine. Nana-san will be watching over her at my place. So calm down, okay," he said in finality.

Everyone went silent, "Well, we can all go see her after school," Yamamoto said.

"Yamamoto is right. You can all see her after classes, so step it up if you want to visit her early on in the afternoon." Giotto instructed.

"Yes…" the others replied as they returned to their early morning work before heading to classes.

…

Tsuna hated herself. She hated herself for choosing a sick excuse just so that she could set the plan in full motion. She really hated worrying everyone that was not aware of the plan. But she had to sacrifice something.

"Yes Kyouya, I'll be just fine…" she said groggily, "It's just a cold…"

"A cold that you never had for the past six years, yes, I shouldn't worry," he said sarcastically, "Did you ever think what I had gone through all morning worrying about you after getting a text message from Kaichou that you were sick all because of the fact that you slept with the air conditioner on maximum and you didn't even had a thought of using your blanket?" he lectured.

Tsuna giggled, "My guess is you beat up the minor rule breakers," she heard her boyfriend grunt in response, meaning it was a yes, "I'm sorry for making you worried as hell recently…I might be a bad influence in your personality…" she apologized.

Kyouya sighed, "My personality is the least of your problems. I'll come visit you as soon as the others stop visiting you in flocks," he said.

"No, no, I don't want you catching my cold," she insisted. "I look horrible, and I wouldn't be able to face you in this kind of situation! I don't want you to!"

A chuckle was heard from the other line. "I never knew you were so whiny when you're sick," he teased. "It's nothing like you,"

Tsuna reddened, "Stop teasing me Kyouya! Like I said, don't come visit! I'll be mad at you if you did!"

"It's not like I'm going to visit you while you're conscious anyway," he replied.

It took five seconds for Tsuna to register that statement. "Eh? What do you mean? Kyouya!"

"I have to go now. I'll see you soon when you're better," he said as he hung up before Tsuna could ask what he meant by _not going to visit her while she's conscious_. It made her think that she didn't want to sleep at all if Kyouya was going to see her in her most horrible state in her entire life. It would kill her. But then, since when did Kyouya base his affections on looks?

That's right; she was embarrassed for him to see that she was a horrible mess of grogginess, runny nose, coughing and a fit of mood swings. With those things in her system there was no way she could be negotiable in that state.

Nana came inside a minute later, carrying a bed tray with her favorite creamy mushroom soup, complete with croutons and hot mashed potatoes on the side. "Are you hungry Tsu-chan?" she asked with a smile on her face.

She remembered the last time she had been sick. She had been all whiny and demanded that all of her stuffed toys were to be beside her at all times. It was the only time that she had the chance to spoil her only daughter rotten with her requests, and she had been more than willing to grant by her wishes. Her daughter in a healthy state never asked for anything unless she really needed it. Her iPhone 4 only came to her on her freshman year on her birthday, and she had complained about her mother spending too much money. After all, her birthdays are the only moments she could spoil her with expensive things, so the moment she heard that her daughter was sick, she didn't think twice in choosing to spoil her rotten this time around. Maybe it would even last for a couple of days.

When her husband has heard that she was sick, he was immediately worried, and had wanted to see her as well, but she protested judging from the fact that she had been mad at him, and she predicted that if she ever sees him, she will haul something at him, and she could guarantee that it won't be a small object.

"Very~" she replied.

"Well here you are, mushroom soup with croutons, and mashed potatoes with extra gravy," in an instant, Tsuna's eyes lit up and began to eat.

"Thanks Mama~!" she replied with glee as she began to eat and compliment her cooking.

Nana smiled at the childishness of a sick Tsunarumi. Well, it was a once in a lifetime chance to spoil her for a couple of days before she gets better. Giotto had told her that it was a flu that she caught, so she would be in bed for over a week. Nana had offered to take her home, but her daughter seemed reluctant, complaining that she loved the feel of big soft pillows, and so, Giotto agreed to keep her in the house and Nana would come each day to spend some time with her while Natsuki was at school, and her husband was at home and get his much needed rest from his _work_.

She tried her best not to mention a word about her husband in front of her sick daughter, knowing the outcome of it was rage and ranting about her hating him and tears. She never wanted to see her cry again at any costs. Her rage seemed to be always directed at her father, and Nana could only imagine how she will act if she ever sees him.

Nana never knew the source of her anger towards her father at first when she was nine, but the moment she and her brother turned ten, she saw how much Iemitsu paid more attention to Natsuki than her, resulting in locking herself up in her room with her stuffed toys and computer as her only company. She could only play with her when she is done with the housework. She understood that her husband has no understanding on how to deal with a daughter, but that doesn't mean that he should prioritize his son more than her daughter. That was his mistake that drove Tsuna away from him and hates him. Nana noticed that after Iemitsu took Natsuki to Italy, she never wanted anything to do with him, and there was one time when Iemitsu called when she was twelve, she refused to talk to him.

She had been tired in getting to understand her father. She was tired of trying to get her father to notice her as much as he notices her younger twin brother. She has had enough. She had made a final decision: to give up on her father.

…

"Why do we have to go to the hospital after classes Reborn?" Natsuki demanded, "I want to see Nee-san now!" they were walking at the hospital corridors. Natsuki always hated the hospital. No matter where he goes, it always smells like medicine and dead people.

Reborn hit him on the head, "Stop whining. Don't you care about Basil?" he asked.

Natsuki stopped his whining, "Yes I do…but…it's the first time in six years that Nee-san has been sick…and I want to be there with her while she recovers," he explained.

"Even if you want to be by your sister's side, there is still the threat of the Varia that will come in less than nine days. If you stay by your sister's side, you will have no time to train at all. You can visit her after we check on Basil, but you have to step up your training if you don't want to end up in the coffin where your sister could see your mutilated body," he stated.

The blond shivered, "Stop thinking like that!"

"Then stop whining about your sister. I might actually believe Hibari about your Sister Complex,"

"I don't have Sister Complex!" Natsuki said as Reborn opened the door to Basil's room.

Inside, there lay Basil, now awake with Dino, Romario and Iemitsu with him. "Ciaoussu," Reborn greeted.

The others looked at the entering pair. "How are you doing Basil?" Natsuki asked.

Basil smiled at him, "I'm fine Natsuki-dono, but I wonder about your sister," he mentioned.

At the call of his sister, Natsuki smiled sadly, "Yeah, well, I plan on visiting her afterwards. Mom may have a little too much to handle given her state when she is sick,"

Dino laughed, "Come on, her actions can't be that bad, can it?" he said.

Natsuki smiles sheepishly. "You have no idea. She tends to be demanding when she is sick. God knows what she could be demanding right now…and Mom seems to enjoy spoiling her when she is that sick," he mentioned.

"Eh? How come?" Basil inquired.

"Let's just say when Nee-san is sick, she is the complete opposite of her being healthy," Natsuki said bluntly. "Anyways, why are we here again?" he asked, changing the subject.

Dino answered, "Well, Basil will be out of the hospital tomorrow, and we are wondering if he could stay with you for a while, if that's alright," he asked Iemitsu.

The man nodded, "Of course. And while he is staying, he could help with Natsuki's training," he agreed.

"What training?" Natsuki wondered.

Reborn answered for him, "Training that you would put yourself into until you could train no more for the next ten days," he informed.

Natsuki's jaw dropped, "What? Only me?"

"Don't be stupid," Reborn said, "Your guardians are already working on their trainings with their teachers, except for Ryohei. We need to shape you up, because at your current state, you would be dead in a minute," he informed.

"You start tomorrow, and no more visits with Tsuna," Iemitsu stated.

The boy's eyes almost left their sockets. Was _he_ depriving _him_ of his sister _again_? "No way in hell! Why are you ceasing my contacts with Nee-san _again_? I've waited _five years_ to see her again and now three weeks later you are forbidding me in seeing her?" he shouted angrily.

"This is to keep your sister safe," Iemitsu said.

For the first time, Natsuki felt the urge to disrespect his father, "This isn't keeping her safe! This is depriving me of the right to see her because you think that worrying about her would make me fall back on my training! I'm not going to follow your methods that led to the destruction of your relationship with Nee-san!" he shouted, full of anger.

Iemitsu frowned, "Don't use that tone on me young man," he said sternly.

But Natsuki was not backing down, "Why not? Just because your relationship with her is gone now, doesn't mean I'll do the same! Besides, by keeping her in the dark, it hurt her ten times more in the psychological sense than physical, now look what happened! She is now a mess of anger towards you because _you_ _ceased contact_ with her and Mom!"

"Natsuki!" Dino said.

"No! I'm not shutting up! I'm sick and tired of your restraints in contacting them! Just because you decided not to contact our family, doesn't mean _I_ have to agree! I have every right to see the person who was responsible for me being here in the first place!" he said as he stormed out of the hospital room in a flash, eager to get out of the place.

Everyone looked at the door, "Natsuki-dono…"

Dino sighed, "He's as hot tempered as ever…most especially to his sister,"

"He was right." All eyes were on Reborn, "Making him cease contact with his sister was something that he has bore with for five years now, and he won't make the mistake of not seeing her again. For the past three weeks, even though they briefly meet at school and on Saturdays because of her life schedule, she has—no, the two had mended their bond that has been cut five years ago. I know how that idiot feels more than anyone,"

"But that would put the two of them in danger!"

Reborn glared at the Sawada patriarch, "And how do you know that Iemitsu? Do you even know how your children feel right now? Do you even know your children _especially_ your eldest?" Iemitsu was silent. "I thought so. Just leave it to him to set a motion for himself in his training. Who knows, maybe visits to her would be worth it and might make him stronger," he said as he left to follow his student to wherever he plans to go in the afternoon.

…

He has had enough. He has had enough of the restrains that has been given to him for the past five years. They had taken away contact with his sister for a long time, and now they expect him to not see her in her most vulnerable state yet? A load of bull, that's what it is. There was no way in hell he was going to do that again and end up hurting her, which can lead to the severity of their sibling relationship. The fault didn't lie on her not knowing of the true background of their father and him. The fault lies on how harsh they cease the contacts to the ones they love. Though it might be an effective way in concealing who they are, it can backfire when the family you love comes to hate you because of it.

Natsuki ran as fast as he could until he came upon the decision in going to Giotto's house, where his sister currently stays. He wanted to see his sister pretty badly right now. He also needed to know how she got information on the mafia as well to make sure that she hadn't gone to great heights of knowledge yet that could endanger her.

…

The moment the clock had struck three in the afternoon, the room she had been laying at was filled with people in an instant, asking for questions on how she is doing. Of course her answer was a big resounding no to all of those questions and had thrown a childish fit, until Giotto found a way in calming her down like a child.

To say the least, all were too shocked to see their normally down to earth Tsuna turn into a big brat in a teenager's body. Giotto had warned them of her condition when she is sick, but they never thought that she would be this bad. It was as if she was five all over again, but Nana had explained that Tsuna never had a happy childhood, which is the reason why her bottled up desires and her Italian curses (that she had heard from Giotto not long after finding out she was dating the head prefect) always come up in her fevers. It was a good thing that Nana had no idea what that meant or else Giotto would have been in serious trouble.

But then, after formulating a plan to deal with her, they managed to give her a good time despite her bed ridden state.

At their enjoyment, Natsuki entered the room. All looked at him with a smile, "What took you so long Natsuki?" Yamamoto wondered.

Gokudera was seriously smiling right now, "Hime-sama has been waiting for you all day,"

"She is EXTREMELY impatient in waiting when she's EXTREMELY sick!" Ryohei stated.

Natsuki placed on his usual smile, "Sorry, Reborn dragged me somewhere after classes…can you guys leave us for a minute?" he asked.

"Sure thing," Giotto said as he hauled everyone out of the room in a matter of seconds.

By the time everyone was out, Natsuki came to his sister and sat beside the bed. "I'm not going to ask the same question they asked when they entered here, because I know the answer to that," he started. Tsuna smiled, "So, how did you know about the mafia?"

Tsuna smiled playfully, "Quick with the question I see, Natsuki. You're very blunt today," she was sane enough to see that her brother was asking real answers this time, "Fine, I'll tell you. A year after you left, I met Kyouya as you might have known. A year passed and I found out that his family had been connected with the Yakuza that had started out on his great grandfather, and so, I knew everything about the mafia. But then I cam across a file where his dad had been involved once to the CEDEF leader of the Vongola, which is our father. After that came a series of information, and it was mostly confirmed by Gokudera-kun," she explained.

"So everyone knew that you were in the mafia at that time?" he demanded. Now he was getting somewhere about the knowledge of his sister in the mafia affairs.

"Nope," she denied. Besides, he did say _at that time_, so that means the others are not aware yet. "The only ones who knew it were me, Kyouya, Kusakabe-san, and Gokudera," she confessed.

"I see…"

"And I also know about the conflict that you are having inside the family affairs," she internally smiled when she found a good surprised reaction of her brother, "You don't think I'd let myself not knowing of your doings while I had the connections now, do you?" she asked.

Natsuki shook his head. "I guess not…" he replied.

Tsuna smiled, "I know you could win," she assured.

Natsuki stared at his twin, "W-What? D-Do you really believe that?"

His sister gave a nod. "I know because you are strong, and you will get stronger to face that guy. After all, what kind of sister would I be if I don't believe in my own brother?" she asked him. Natsuki felt kind of ashamed to think that his sister would not support him. "I know the reason why you chose to take the place of the Decimo instead of me," Natsu eyed his sister, "It's because since you were the second man of the house, you saw it as your duty to protect me and Mom even though you are younger than me. You chose to take my place so that I would be safe from the onslaught of the mafia. I understand your intentions, but promise me that during this fight, broaden your will. Fight not only for me but for yourself and your friends,"

"Nee-san…"

"After all, if you don't fight for everyone you care about in your life, you might not survive long enough." She stated. She then put on a serious face, "If you lose in a battle of wills Natsuki, I won't acknowledge you as my brother," she said it in a way that is too serious for Natsuki to interpret. But he could tell that she was dead serious about her ultimatum. "You will keep that in mind, will you?"

Natsuki nodded with a determined face, "I won't fail your expectations, Nee-san," he promised.

Tsuna smiled, "That's the Natsuki that I know," she smiled. "You better get yourself into shape when they return here in eight days then. I can't watch your progress or the matches in my state should my flu continue, but remember that I will be cheering on you until the end," she assured him and ruffled her spiky hair, an action that she hadn't done since they were four.

Natsuki allowed her to do so, "Roger that,"

**A promise between siblings! What would transpire from this promise? **

**Next Chapter: As the Training Goes**

**REVIEW~!**


	15. As the Training Goes

**I don't know if you guys will like this chapter, but I hope that it would showcase the 1st Generation in the modern world well. It's a little rough but I hope this is fine with all of you. **

**Chapter 15 As the Training Goes**

"Natsuki-dono!" Basil shouted in shock at the blond.

Natsuki collapsed on the ground, panting heavily in his Hyper Dying Will Mode. He, Reborn and Basil were in Namimori Mountain near a waterfall, dead tired, and in his boxers. Again, Reborn had resumed in training him with those accursed Dying Will Bullets to climb a cliff, which he found himself boxer-less again. He had feared the day that Reborn used the bullets again, and he was thankful for him that he had the sense to do it in an isolated place.

"Get up Baka-Natsuki!" Reborn said in his tutor mode, "You have only been training for two days. You are not going to fail in doing it!"

"But it's hard to concentrate my flames…" he reasoned.

"Do you want your sister to be disappointed in you?" he demanded. That seemed to tick something in Natsuki's system.

Natsuki shook his head, "No…" he answered.

Reborn pointed Leone the gun at his head, "Then step it up! I'm going to hit you with the Criticism Bullet, and this time, _don't mess it up_." he said as he pulled the trigger.

Natsuki went back to Hyper Dying Will Mode and made a stance that Reborn had told him to do. His flames went into frenzy around him while his eyes closed. He needed to concentrate more on his training. There is no point in worrying about someone who doesn't want it.

Two days had passed since his talk with Tsuna, but at this time, she is yet to recover. Her fever had been getting worse as the days passed by a Celsius, and now, she was at 105.2 Celsius on the last check of Nana and Giotto. They had considered taking her to the hospital, but Tsuna insisted that she was going to be fine. She has been saying that over and over again, but none of them were convinced. She had engraved into Natsuki's mind not to worry about her in his training, or he'll end up messing up the things he is doing.

The theory of Shamal is that all of her pent up stress and frustrations were being released at once, and it was her psychological state that is edging up the fever, since she has been stressed. All silently blamed it on Iemitsu for coming home and confronting her when she is still not ready to control herself, but what's done is done.

All the while, Gokudera had been training with Shamal and his too-good to be true cousin, G., Yamamoto with his father and Ugetsu, Mukuro was just lounging around and training with Fran and his brother Daemon after classes instead, Kyouya had disappeared somewhere with Dino, since Kusakabe and Alaude had been taking care of the DC matters recently, Lambo was just playing around as usual, while being monitored by Lampo at times, and Ryohei had been training with a fellow Arcobaleno of Reborn, a former member of COMSUBIN named Colonello, leaving Knuckle to take care of his part of the chores much to his exasperation.

Other than the scary vice-president Alaude, Natsuki had been all too surprised to see the brothers and cousins (on the case of Yamamoto, his young uncle) that they barely told him about. The first time he saw one of them was with Gokudera who had been training with the red-head by means of hitting him with his crossbow and almost nearly shooting him at every time. The next one freaked him out when he came to a grand mansion where Mukuro was said to be staying, and was dead shocked when he saw an older replica of Mukuro. Chrome, their adopted sister, had explained that they are indeed brothers.

He met Yamamoto's uncle when he was helping out with the shop the day before, and had almost mistaken him for the baseball player if it had not been their eye colors that said the difference. The other day when he picked up Lambo, he had met his green haired brother who was also waiting for him ever since the afro haired boy had acquired the half ring of the Thunder. He met Knuckle last since he was on another school when he picked up Kyoko the moment Ryohei began his training with an _'unusually strong and smart baby'_ as he put it. He seemed to have been entering in a Christian private school a few blocks away judging from his all-too formal and clean-cut uniform that Kyouya would approve of as an appropriate way of wearing a uniform and his accessory of a silver cross.

Apart from Knuckle, they were all entering in the same private school on the other side of Namimori called Paragon University. It was a school for the gifted on various fields, and the former school of Giotto and Alaude before they transferred to Nami-Private Academy when they went to Middle School. Alaude had only transferred to keep Giotto in line when it comes to Tsuna on his protective ways. On the back of their minds, Alaude was doing it to keep women off his lover. To make it even more interesting was that they were all the childhood friends of Giotto, and Tsuna became close to them as well, to the point of treating him like their own sister since they had no girl figure in their own families (on Daemon's case, before he found Mukuro and Nagi/Chrome), and adored her.

Natsuki got a little jealous of knowing that they stood as the big brothers of Tsuna while he was away, but he was not going to show it to prove that he has absolutely no Sister Complex. There was no way he was going to prove them right about that.

…

Tsuna closed the book she was reading on the bed. It had been two bed-ridden days now, and she was getting bored by the second. Kyouya called the other day telling her that he will be gone for a few days, until after the Ring Conflict begins, but before his turn comes to fight. It had seemed that he had been intrigued by the strength of the Cavallone Decimo and had the interest to bite him to death like all the others that he has fought before, so she would not be seeing him in days.

The brothers and cousins of Natsuki's guardians had been ordered by her not to tell Natsuki that they were involved in the mafia business, in fear that it might lead to their secret, and had told them that they would only tell Natsuki that their brothers requested for a few training lessons for a _Match_ that they are participating for. They are not allowed to see the fruits of their labor and tolerance personally in fear that the Arcobaleno of the Sun and Rain would notice something wrong.

Of course, all agreed to that notion. It would be dangerous if they were somehow suspected as having knowledge in the mafia. G., Daemon and Lampo maybe, but the others had to be confidential about their knowledge. As the _Sentinella_ motto says, _Knowledge is the Ultimate Power_. They would gather knowledge of the entire mafia world for the Vindice, while they suppress the knowledge of the people about them. Those who meddle too much without their consent would be eliminated. That is their task. That is the way they carry out the orders of the Vindice. While many would think that their group only does the dirty work of the Mafia Police, it was actually a beneficial one. Not all their tasks are dirty work. Some are even quite beneficial to the ones involved. But not everyone could be a winner, and not everyone could get the favor of the Watchers of the Mafia.

Shaking her head in dismissal of the thought, she sighed as she lay down again, looking at the ceiling of the room, decorated by intricate carvings of high quality wood. She really hated being sick. If she had the energy, she would be lecturing Natsuki right now about his strength. He has told her of the technique that Reborn was about to teach him, something that she already knew how to use: The Zero Point Breakthrough. Although the kind varies to everyone in the family, especially their hyper intuition, there is one real kind that the Vongola Primo had made to seal the flames that they are wielding. Her version of the technique is something that she is sure would Natsuki sense in no time at all, if he completes the training.

"Natsuki…fail to complete the technique and it's your life that will be finished…" she smiled, "And we can't have that now, can we…? Not if I can help it…"

…

Gokudera nearly dodged another set of five arrows from G. who was meters away from him. He couldn't even see where the guy is right now, considering that his red hair was potentially a dead giveaway on a forest of green. Add to that, his cousin was an excellent marksman. It would be impossible to get away from him. He could see a mouse a mile away without difficulty. That was why he had never even doubted that he was accepted in Paragon University in an Archery scholarship.

He never knew that his mother came from a long line of professional archers, until he had come to Japan and had started to live with him, since Shamal disappears on a regular basis. He had seen the different kinds of trophies that the family has collected through generations, and were very well off. At first, he had been hesitant in coming to live with the family of his mother, thinking that he would not be accepted because he was only a fourth Japanese and a son of a Mafiosi to boot, but to his surprise, his grandparents had been all to eager to meet him finally, after learning of her mother's decision about declining the marriage proposal of his father. They had understood her decision, but they had never stopped wondering what the silver haired teen looked like, and even compared her to his mother because of his close resemblance to her.

The closest to a brother he has had was G. although that was just his nickname; he never revealed his full name because of the _lameness_ of it, as he described it. Both of them shared a resemblance except for his red hair, but that didn't stop the two of them to be close as real brothers. G's parents had died when he was young, and thus, he fell into the custody of their grandparents. The two were the only memories the old couple has of their two children.

As he had grown under the care of it, he showed the talent of being a good pianist and marksman as well, saying that it was all in their blood. But he had preferred to use the dynamites that Shamal had taught him as a use for combat sine he found himself entirely comfortable with it. As for the piano skills, he had been happy that the skill was passed down onto him by his mother, even though he never knew that she was the one who taught him in the first place when he was five.

Gokudera dodged another set of arrows, this time, by tens. That was a total kill. "Hey G, can you minimize the arrows? I'll die if you keep adding the arrows!" he complained.

G. emerged from a tree a few yards away, his crossbow in hand, "If you want to get stronger, don't complain about the arrows I shoot. Your bomb throwing is more than I shoot at you," he defended. "Besides, dodging sharp things could be a useful skill when in battle," he said. "Now, try and find me. This time, use your other senses to dodge the arrows to find me quickly," He said as he disappeared in a flash.

A few seconds later, fifteen arrows were being shot at him. He dodged them quickly, "Stupid ass!" he could swear G. was laughing at him right now.

…

Tsuyoshi and Ugetsu watched as their son and nephew warmed up by doing the basic stances of Kendo. It had been three years since he nagged his father and uncle to teach him the way of the sword so suddenly at his young age. Ugetsu had been more than happy to teach him the basics, and then they would advance to the more complicated moves of the sword.

Unknown to the young baseball star, he had two good teachers. Yamamoto Tsuyoshi was the last of the users of Shigure Soen Ryu, and Asari Ugetsu was a famous user of four irregular swords. Yamamoto's parents both came from a long line of swordsmen that had served the Emperors and Shoguns for centuries, and they were one of the best. Yamamoto Mio, formerly Asari Mio, was a wonderful and graceful sword user that no one expected to be as good as any other man. She was the most versatile of the women ever born to the Asari House. Using her katana and short sword, she was as deadly as a plague. She had a carefree attitude and had been doing various sports when she had been young, but she knew that it was tradition that made her choose the way of the sword, and the reason how she had met Yamamoto Tsuyoshi.

Ugetsu always looked up to her sister for her prowess in sword fighting, but he took the teachings of the family to the next level by using a katana and three short swords in battle. It had been something that Mio had admired in the skill of her young brother, most especially his skills in music. As he grew up, Mio had trained him even though she had her son, Takeshi, to take care of. Since she had never wanted her Takeshi to grow up training to become a swordsman early in a modern world, she had encouraged him to engage into the sport he liked, which was baseball.

After her untimely death when Ugetsu was ten and the young Yamamoto Takeshi was nine after being killed by a foreigner swordsman who challenged her to a duel, he had promised himself that he would protect his young nephew even if it costs his life.

So the moment he had asked to learn kendo when he was twelve, the two were shocked at his sudden interest in it. They were about to decline if it weren't for the glint in his eyes that they had always seen on their beloved Mio. Through the years, Ugetsu had taught him what he knew, besides his use of the four irregular swords, but Tsuyoshi continued to watch over his only son, waiting for the time to deem him worthy of using his sword style.

"So, are you going to teach him Shigure Soen Ryu now?" he wondered.

Tsuyoshi sighed, "Don't get ahead of me Ugetsu." He then looked at his son, "Of course I will teach it to him now. As you said, he has less than a week to learn, so he has to step it up,"

Ugetsu smiled, and then looked at the sheathed shinai on his hands. "Well, good luck Tsuyoshi-niisan. Tell Takeshi that I have already gone home for the day so that you could show him your style," he said as he left the two on their own vices. "Takeshi has grown a lot. I wonder who his opponent will be…" he smiled, "Maa, time for my daily instrument maintenance," he chirped as he went out of the Yamamoto residence towards home.

…

Fran watched boringly at his master and his brother training—scratch that—playing with illusions. Daemon was throwing him numerous crows at Mukuro, with him countering the crows with numerous scarecrows. He sweat dropped at the action, but hey, if a scary pumpkin head with a witch's hat in a trench coat suddenly comes out of the ground, you would shriek and fly away too.

Fran could see the slight bloodlust the two had for each other when it comes to matches of illusions, even if it only counts as playing. They were both attacking each other with fire, ice, you name it. But there was one thing that the two has in common. They were both flashy in everything they do. Sometimes he wonders why he chose those brothers as his mentors.

Fran had been living with his grandmother in the countryside of a small country a year ago, when he was found on the lake by Daemon and Mukuro who were travelling. He first thought of them as pineapple headed fairies because of their hairs. But when they showed their abilities, he became fascinated with their ability, thus letting out his own potential as an illusionist.

They had asked permission from his grandmother first, and she had been more than willing to agree on the condition that he always writes home. As he travelled with the brothers, he had discovered that they were in the mafia. Mukuro had been imprisoned in Vindice if it weren't for the request of Daemon and the leader of _Sentinella_ who set him free for beneficial purposes. Mukuro never knew that he had a brother when he was young, but then, he remembered very little of his past. The only thing he knew was that he was a member of the Estraneo Famiglia. Daemon had been revealed to be part of that family as well, but he had escaped much earlier than his brother had been by pretending to be dead.

A kind rich Japanese-Italian woman had found Daemon in the outskirts of the forest and had moved to Namimori, where he met Giotto and the rest of their friends, and had also grown with the young Tsunarumi when she was six. He had been the one who is as protective as Giotto in a sense if she is in danger, seeing his little brother in her at that time. The following year, his adoptive mother had also took in a girl named Nagi, and changed her name into Chrome, who was left by her parents to die because they didn't want to bother with their dying unsociable daughter in getting her organs.

She was in the hospital with Daemon at that time for their monthly check-up, and she had worked on her instead. But that didn't mean that her parents were off the hook for what they had done to the girl. As a rich businesswoman that she is, she had done things to great heights in taking the very business that Chrome's father had lunged himself into more than his family, and went bankrupt three months after the incident.

After _Sentinella _went to the hands of Tsuna, a year ago, they were surprised to see that the very brother of Daemon has been wreaking havoc in the mafia world. When he had been defeated by Natsuki, he was immediately sent to Vindice, but right after a few weeks, Tsuna didn't think twice to use her privilege to release him from the water tank, also his comrades, Ken and Chikusa.

The moment he was released, he found out the truth behind his identity, that he had a brother that he had thought was killed by the very family who had experimented on him brutally. He was a little too distraught at first, but when Tsuna had done the talking; all went well on their opinions. Ever since then, Tsuna has given him his freedom back, and he had repaid her in serving her whenever she needed it. He had also started to live with Daemon in their estate of his adoptive mother, who was too delighted by the added company of Mukuro and his group. Fran came afterwards on the second half of the freshman semester.

"Shishou, Daemon-niisan, when are you going to stop with those flashy attacks?" he asked in his usual bored tone.

The two illusionists stopped their battle and looked at their student. "It is none of your concern on how flashy our illusion game is," Daemon said.

"But shouldn't illusions be unflashy so that no one would notice the difference between what's real and what's not?" he reasoned.

"Kufufufu, we taught you too much on the logic," Mukuro stated.

It was then when a woman in her late thirties appeared in the training room, from where they are fighting. "Boys," she called.

The three stood up in recognition, "Mother," the three said.

The woman, who had long purple hair and blue eyes smiled at her three adopted sons. It had been a long time since she had adopted Daemon when she was in her twenties and on vacation in Sicily. She had cared for Daemon and had taught him the ways of being an illusionist. She was once a member of a mafia famiglia, but quit when she has had enough of the fighting. She remembered leaving her relative there who had chosen that life instead of a quiet one like what she is having right now. Now that Mukuro and the rest of her adopted children are with her, only four had shown potential in carrying her knowledge of the illusions. They were Daemon, Mukuro, Fran and Chrome. She had taught them what she knew personally, and left them on their own vices to come up with new techniques of their own, thus unconsciously surpassing her expectations for her successors. If there was one important thing that she would pass over to them, it was her abilities as a famed illusionist.

"Something came out of the mail today, addressed to Mukuro-kun," she said as she handed a small box.

Mukuro took it and opened the box, revealing the Vongola Mist half ring. He smirked, "Well this came a tad bit late," he commented.

Their mother recognized that anywhere, "I see that you are recovered from your issues with Vindice and getting into the mafia business once again," she said with a smile, "Good luck with the upcoming ring battles then,"

Mukuro smiled a genuine smile, "Thank you for your support, Mother," he replied.

"A word of advice, Mukuro-kun," she said as she bended down to his height, "Watch out for the snake-like frog."

Mukuro got the message. "And I will take that advice to heart, dear Mother,"

…

Lampo watched as his brother played on the park with I-pin. He still wasn't sure that making him the guardian of the Vongola kid was a good idea. The boss of the Bovino and their father had approved of it, and were very grateful for the honor, but he was still quite uneasy of the decision. Ever since he was young, and when Lambo was born five years ago, their mother had died soon after because of her weakening body after conceiving his little brother.

He had been quite protective of him for a long time, especially when members of the Bovino had ridiculed the little afro haired boy. They had labeled him as a spoiled brat, and couldn't do anything right, even thought he had been in another country the whole time. While most of it was true, he couldn't deny the fact that he wanted to rip their heads clean off their shoulders for outwardly insulting his little brother.

He had grown up aware of his life as a Mafiosi, but he didn't want that to be experienced by a mere child like him. He had wanted Lambo to have an enjoyable childhood, so after Lambo was a few months old enough to be travelling, he decided that they move him to his location in Namimori for him to have a peaceful time growing up. They lived in a regal mansion, with staffs and all, but only the two of them lived there in comfort. Their father rarely visits them, but it was enough that the man still wanted to see his children once in a while.

He had been friends with Giotto and the others ever since he was six, since he was undeniably the same age as Tsuna when he met them. The moment they saw Lambo, they quickly spoiled him rotten, which made the afro haired boy the way he is now. Most of the spoiling came from Tsuna, Giotto and most especially, Nana, whom the boy had considered his mother already. The Sawada matriarch in turn, loved the little boy. He was very grateful of his friends and the woman who had been viewed as his mother figure for taking care of Lambo, even if he did act spoiled most of the time.

He took out the half ring of the Vongola Thunder ring, and contemplated whether he should give the boy the ring. But then, he has time to teach Lambo how to properly use the Ten Year Bazooka that had been a gift from their father. He has been researching on a new bazooka himself, ever since he has garnered the blueprints of the Ten Year Bazooka and decided upon himself to make something that does not involve time, but another dimension. Whether he can complete it or not, he himself would not know.

Sighing, he called for his brother, "Lambo," he called.

Lambo heard his brother and he ran towards him, leaving I-pin with their sand castle for a while. "Arara, what is it Nii-chan?" he said gleefully.

Lampo kneeled down with one knee to face his brother, and showed him the ring, "Can you promise me to take care of this ring?" he asked.

Lambo beamed, "You can count on the Great Lambo-san!" he said cheerfully.

The older boy sighed, but smiled, "Take care of this, because from now on, this is yours," he stated as he gave the ring to him.

"This ring is weird! Is this a puzzle ring?" he wondered.

Lampo smiled at the unconscious sharpness of his intellect, "Yes it is. And you have to beat someone to get the other part of the puzzle ring," he explained.

"Then Lambo-san will beat that person! Where is he?" he demanded.

"Calm down, you'll face him soon, but you have to wait, understand?"

Lambo raised his hands, "I will wait to complete the puzzle game!"

Lampo smiled at the determination of the boy, albeit childish. But this was the only way to go anyways. He just hopes that nothing too severe would happen to him.

…

Knuckle sighed as he watched his energetic cousin train with the blond baby with the rifle and military get-up. Three days ago, Ryohei had asked Knuckle if he could train with him for boxing for a while, but he had refused. He had stopped boxing ever since he had injured his opponent with a concussion on the head. Even though they said that it was a common accident, he still never forgave himself for being too strong in the ring. It was the first time that it had happened. Ever since then, he transferred from Paragon University to a Christian school. Even though that the others tell him that it was alright, and the opponent survived, and had forgiven him after apologizing, it still wasn't enough. He was gravely traumatized of the match that none of them could take it off of him for recovery.

His parents were overseas on two different countries, sending him under the care of the Sasagawa couple, and became really close to his cousins. Ryohei had shared his same dream before the accident in the ring. But he had never stopped boxing so that he could protect his sister from thugs who dares lay a finger on her. He envied his resolve to continue boxing; he envied his enthusiasm in the subject. He envied him because he had everything he had lacked. He envied his ability to let things go. He was always caught up with the fact that if he ever returns to the ring, there is a chance that he could do the same thing again and again.

Now looking at his cousin train very energetically, he remembered feeling the same enthusiasm when he was younger, and before the incident. He had always wanted to be a boxer more than anything else, but he vowed to only fight when he really needed it.

"Aren't you going to watch him closer, kora!" the baby appeared in a branch near him, along with a bird.

Knuckle looked back at his cousin, "I might. But I prefer the view here, watching him train all he could. I remember when I was younger…I used to be that enthusiastic,"

Colonello interested him, "Then why did you quit boxing?" he wondered.

Knuckle sighed, "Did your mother ever told you not to pry on anyone's business when the person doesn't want you to?"

"No. Tell me, kora!" he insisted.

Knuckle chuckled at the baby. "Let's just say an incident occurred that made me store my gloves. That's all I want to reveal to you," he answered.

"I can accept that," Colonello replied as he jumped down to the ground beside him, "Still, are you going to see him up close for his training?"

Knuckle smiled as the two walked to the white haired boy, "Well, he does need to improve his stances," he replied.

…

Kyouya sipped his tea in a Japanese Inn a few miles away from Namimori. He wondered what had gotten into the brain of the Cavallone to bring the training here. It had been two days since he left with the man, and since he had contacted his girlfriend.

He was starting to hate the entire thing about the ring battles, because it was keeping him away from his Namimori and his Tsunarumi. It was something that he didn't think for a second he would leave. But he has already threatened Natsuki that if something bad happened to both things he cared about, he would be paying the painful price of being bitten to death.

He had left the DC to his brother and Kusakabe while he was away anyway, but that doesn't guarantee that the school will not be touched by the whole ordeal. He had Giotto to blame for that as well.

"You seemed to be very deep in thought," Dino said as he sat down across him.

Kyouya grunted, "Can you explain to me why you brought me _here_ to train, Cavallone?" he demanded.

"Hey, don't get cranky. Since you were already good in the background of a city, I thought of training you into different places and humidity so that you could improve yourself with all this," he explained.

"Of all the places your idiot head could think of, why do you have to choose a place where there is _no phone reception_?"

Dino raised his hand, "I told you, you have to learn to adapt into different environments in the span of a week to get into shape. And no phone reception is one of them," he explained.

Kyouya stood up with a killing aura. "I'll go to bed now. Tomorrow, don't expect that the day will end with you with only a few scratches…" he said murderously as he left.

Dino shivered at the killing intent of the boy, but he understood him missing his girlfriend though. He was more than shocked when he learned from Reborn that she was dating Natsuki's older twin, and to top it all off, Iemitsu was there as well. He said nothing about it, but he knew that he was slightly against the decision after finding out of his background. On the other hand, he has no say into it, in Tsuna's view. He had no right to object with every choice she makes.

He sighed at how the Sawada family was very dysfunctional in all aspects. It seemed to have gotten worse with the impending visit of the Varia once they found out that the rings that were taken were fakes.

He couldn't wait for it to get on with it.

Fortunately or unfortunately, he was getting his wish.

**So, what do you guys think? I will be updating more since I'm already done in typing this and I'm only editing some parts. I hope you would like the future chapters. **

**REVIEW~!**


	16. Coming of the Varia

**Now that everyone is pretty excited about the flow of events in my fic, it's time for the main event! The Varia is here!**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 16 Coming of the Varia**

**One Week Later**

Tsuna sighed as she stopped the subscription of the pill today on a Saturday morning. She was thankful for that because she didn't need to be spoiled by her mother no longer and yield to her every demand. As the dose of the pill fades away, her senses became more and more back to its original state.

When Nana took her last temperature check, it had decreased to 39.7, which is a good sign that she is now feeling better. "Well! Just a bit more rest and you can come home~!" she said enthusiastically.

But Tsuna realized that her mother was forgetting something, "Mom, you do realize I'm not coming home unless _he_ leaves," she said with a sad face.

Nana came to her senses and smiled weakly. "Yes…I forgot…I guess I wouldn't be seeing you at home for a few more days?"

Tsuna nodded. "Yeah, but don't mind me. Just take good care of Natsuki at the house. I'll be fine here,"

"Alright, if it really is okay with you…" she said.

Tsuna could see how hurt her mother is, "I'm sorry Mom, but things just aren't that easy as you would think…there are issues that I'm not ready to confront to him yet…I hope you understand how much I need to be away from home…"

Nana held both of Tsuna's hands with hers, a gentle smile on her face, "I understand Tsu-chan. But don't take too long, okay?"

Tsuna smiled. "Okay."

Nana, satisfied with her answer, stood up, "Well, I must be going now. Natsuki will be home any moment from playing with Reborn-kun and Basil-kun, and I need to prepare some snack for them,"

Tsuna nodded, "Take care,"

…

"WHY DO I HAVE TO GO AND BALANCE MYSELF AT THE CENTER OF MINES?" Natsuki shouted to the heavens as he kept his balance on a small rock that can only fit a fourth of his foot. It was already on the afternoon and he had been standing there for a good thirty minutes.

"You've been asking that question every ten minutes. My answer wouldn't change no matter how many times you ask it," Reborn said, "It's for your balance training. You have been out of shape lately, and your balance has gotten off. It's the main problem why you couldn't complete the technique yet," he lectured.

"Don't worry Natsuki-dono, I minimized the firepower by fifty percent, so you don't have to worry," he informed.

"That still doesn't make me feel any better! These are one hundred mines! They are bound to create enough explosions to kill me!" Natsuki complained.

Reborn pointed Leone at him, "Then stop whining and start concentrating,"

"HIIIEEEE!"

…

Above the buildings of Namimori, a team of men in trench coats jumped from roof to roof, searching for something, or someone below them.

"The northern side of Namimori is clear, Levi-sama,"

"Still no sign of the bearer of the half ring of the Thunder?"

"No sir,"

Levi closed his communicator in irritation. He had to find them somehow. He needed to see what kind of opponent he would be up against, and there was no way that he would fail. Finding their opponents and killing them on the spot was the main reason of their arrival in Japan in the first place.

"Can you locate them from this range, Mammon?" Levi asked.

"I can. But remember this comes with a price," said a cloaked baby.

The tall man scoffed, "Name your price later," he replied.

Mammon sighed, "There's no helping it then…" he took out a piece of tissue and spat on it. "Thoughtography!"

Levi looked at it disgusted, "No matter how many times you do it, it's still disgusting…"

Mammon clicked his tongue, "If you want to find the holder of your half of the ring, then don't complain about the way I locate things,"

"Tch, fine," he said as he kept quiet.

Mammon looked at the tissue and read the coordinates of the soft parchment, "A point 205 meters to the south, 801 meters to the west,"

"Move out!" Levi ordered, leaving Mammon alone in the tall building they were on.

…

Giotto handed Tsuna some tea that he had brewed himself on her bed, "Well, your body temperature is getting good, since you stopped taking it last night," he commented.

Tsuna sighed, "I'm thankful that I'm finally done with that crap, I don't know how long I'm going to stand allowing myself become spoiled…"

"Well you certainly had that in the bag," he teased.

Tsuna shot him a glare, "Shut up," she said as she sipped the last of her tea.

She handed it to Giotto and as the blond took it, he felt something ominous around. Acting quickly, he grabbed Tsuna off of her bed and in time to take cover of the explosion that had been sent to the balcony of Tsuna's room. Glasses and pieces of cement and wood flew everywhere, with the smoke clouding their visions and oxygen.

"Tsuna! Are you okay?" Giotto asked worriedly, releasing him from his protective embrace.

Tsuna's face was covered with soot from the smoke of the bomb. "Yeah, I'm fine. What the hell was that?!" she complained as the two stood up.

"My, my, what a wonderful room~!" a gayish voice said.

"Shishishi~ shut it Lussuria. We have some work to do," said a menacing voice.

Giotto and Tsuna looked closely at the place where the balcony once was. "What the hell? Who are you and what are you doing in my house?" the blond demanded.

The smoke slowly faded revealing a man with sunglasses, and a boy about their age whose eyes were hidden by his blond hair, fashioned with a tiara. Both were wearing black leather trench coats and boots. All of them were eyeing the cousins with interest. Tsuna's eyes sharpened at the sight of the two assassins.

"Well, we are here for the twin sister of Boss' rival, so we're going to take her," Lussuria stated.

Giotto pulled Tsuna behind him, "No way! As if she's going with the likes of you!" he shouted.

The crowned blond snickered, "You don't have much of a choice…" he said as he took out some knives and held it like a pack of cards. Giotto prepared himself to defend Tsuna at all costs, however, the intimidating aura of the two seemed too strong and sinister.

Giotto and Tsuna tensed at that. "Now, give us the girl and no one will die," the crowned boy said.

The blond gritted his teeth, "Over my dead body,"

The sunglass wearing man frowned, "We'll take that as a challenge then. But I'm a bit sad that I have to get rid of someone as handsome as you,"

"Alright, we're flexible," the younger one said, his knives ready to be thrown.

"No!" Tsuna shouted with worry the moment she saw the glint on the badge of the two people. "Giotto, look at their emblem, they're the Varia!"

Giotto looked at her in surprise, "You mean they're _the_ Varia?" he pointed at them.

"Pointing at people is rude," the man said again.

Tsuna looked at him with a pleading look, "Giotto…let me come with them…" she asked.

Giotto stared at her wide eyed, "What? Are you crazy?"

"Maybe I am, but I don't want you to be involved in this because of me and my brother…so please Giotto, let me go. They won't kill me unless Natsuki doesn't do anything stupid," she predicted.

"Shishishi~ now that is a reasonable peasant girl," the boy said.

Tsuna stood in front of them, "I'll come with you if you leave him alone…" her head was bent, not letting them to see her eyes.

"Tsuna!" Giotto shouted.

"We'll keep our word sweetheart," the sunglasses man said, "We're going to take you to our meeting place now," he said as he carried her princess style, and the younger teen followed soon after.

Giotto ran to see where they are headed, but they were already gone. "TSUNA!"

…

Levi's troops arrived at the place where Mammon had located the other half of the Thunder ring. They had ended up on a road, and he immediately ordered his men to search the place. It was a few minutes later when one of his men spotted a group of kids, two teenage girls, two toddlers, a ten year-old and a teenage boy. Taking the binoculars out of his pocket, he looked closer, thinking that the teen boy with green hair was his opponent, but to his amazement, he saw the Vongola Thunder half-ring on the kid dressed like a cow. He felt insulted if they ever think that a brat, barely five or six, could beat him.

Lampo suddenly felt a hostile presence in the air. Literally, because he could see faint splotches of black that slowly turned into human shapes as he fixed his gaze on them. Not wasting any more time, he texted an emergency message to Natsuki, having been advised to contact him should anything goes wrong with their day that might involve the mafia.

Even though he thinks that he can take them on, he didn't want to endanger Kyoko and Haru for babysitting two mafia-involved toddlers and a ten year-old, even though they are aware of the fact. They could fight yes, but they might have no match for the members of the Varia. He only hopes that the men are under Leviathan, or they would be screwed.

…

Natsuki was wavering as the three of them walked towards home. "I thought I was literally going to die…"

Basil smiled, "Thou hath been excellent in training, thou needn't worry,"

Natsuki looked at Basil, "Easy for you to say since you were not the one who had been in the middle of deadly mines…" he muttered.

Reborn gave a smirk, "That's called training a boss. And you need more balance if you want to master a technique that we had been working on for the past week. If you ask me, your guardians are doing better than you," he stated.

Natuski shot him a glare, "Well at least they don't have sadistic tutors!" His tirade was interrupted when his phone rang. The three stopped to read the message. "It's from Lampo-san," there was one thing that Lampo had sent him that made him sure that something was not right about this day:

_911_

"They're in trouble!" Natsuki said, "Let's go! We need to find them. I'll message the others as quick as I can!" the three then ran to find Lampo's group.

"I'll go and tell Master," Basil said as he disappeared in a flash.

Not long after, a call came from Giotto, "Giotto-nii? What is it?"

"Natsuki! Tsuna just got taken by people who call themselves the Varia!" he shouted with panic.

"Natsuki! Thank god I reached you quickly! Tsuna has been kidnapped by two people who call themselves the Varia!"

Natsuki's eyes widened in shock, fearing for his sister, "What? Nee-san has been kidnapped by the Varia?" Reborn's eyes sharpened at the conversation.

"They suddenly attacked my house in her room and trashed the place! Tsuna went with them with her own will because they threatened to kill me if she didn't surrender." Natsuki froze, "Natsuki, I hope the two of you didn't get into something dangerous. Don't do anything stupid unless you want something bad to happen to her, and I hope not…"

Natsuki knew that Giotto was dead worried of Tsuna, and what the Varia might do with her. "I promise Giotto-nii, I won't let anything bad happen to Nee-san," he said.

"I know. I trust you. Call me when something new gets up. I need to fix the room and explain things to my staff…they might be shaken up by the explosion," he said as he cut off the call.

"This is so not happening!" Natsuki shouted as they ran, "First Lampo-san said that someone is trying to locate them, then I hear that Nee-san got kidnapped!" he complained.

"There's nothing we could do about that, Natsuki," Reborn said. "Right now, we have to get to Lambo's location. They said that they would be-"

Screams of girls can be heard just near them. Tsuna and Reborn rushed to the main source of the scream.

…

Lampo had his spiked shield in his backpack just in case something bad happens to them, and that time is now. The moment men came with lightning rods, he knew that he had the most advantage in it. Picking up his brother and his friend, he gave them to the two girls and Fuuta and stood in front of the men.

"Who the hell are you people?" he demanded.

"We are sent to kill the holder of the Thunder ring." Was all they said.

Lambo prepared for bloodshed, "What makes you think I'm going to let you kill my brother?"

"Nii-chan!" Lambo shouted, realizing what is happening.

Lampo eyed the men, but he spoke to his brother, "Don't even dare to cry now Lambo. Hold it in," he said as he threw his shield towards the men, injuring one of them for being idiotic enough to get scathed by it, for the spike blades carried high voltages of electricity enough to down a man. That was what exactly happened to the unfortunate idiot who would even had the brains to fight back and block the attack of the red lightning it emitted.

Lampo caught it in time, and looked at his next opponent. But then he placed down his shield. The man felt insulted, "Aren't you going to attack me?" he wondered.

Lampo smirked, "Don't have to," he said.

As he said that, three figures went behind them, and attacked. Ryohei crept behind one man and punched them senseless towards the wall, Yamamoto used the back of his sword to knock out the next, and Gokudera threw his bombs towards the remaining man, knocking him out also. There was no way in hell they would take a life.

"Sorry for being late," Yamamoto apologized.

Gokudera clicked his tongue, "Of all people, why did that stupid cow get a ring?"

"The other Sawada wouldn't EXTREMELY make a mistake in choosing him, Octopus head," Ryohei reasoned.

Lampo then looked at them, "Thanks for the save," he thanked. Then he looked at the girls, Fuuta and the two toddlers, "We better get out of here quick," he said.

"Leave Lambo to me, Lampo-san," a new voice joined in. All looked to see Natsuki panting tiredly, "I need Lambo for the time being,"

The older Bovino understood it and took the three girls and Fuuta with him, to send them home, "Take care of my brother," he said before they left.

"Be careful Natsuki-nii!" Fuuta said as they ran towards the other way.

Natsuki watched as they were out of sight. He then looked at Lambo, "Are you hurt anywhere?" he asked.

Lambo shook his head, "B-But Nii-chan used his electric shield because of me…" he said. "Nii-chan never uses it unless there is danger, and I was in danger because of the puzzle ring he gave me…"

Natsuki looked at the ring on a small chain that Lampo had placed on Lambo's neck. He patted his afro, "Don't worry, you will not get in trouble,"

Lambo looked at Natsuki, "Really?" Natsuki nodded as he picked him up.

"Good thing we came here when needed," Yamamoto said with a light smile.

Ryohei nodded, "They were almost EXTREMELY outnumbered Lampo if that ever EXTREMELY happened,"

"What's important is that the ring is secured," Gokudera said.

"I won't be so sure about that," a low voice said. There showed a burly man with spiky hair, on his back was a set of umbrellas. "So this brat is the Thunder guardian. It should be easy to kill you,"

"Hold on Levi," a small voice said, "You shouldn't be too rushed about this issue," Mammon lectured. The moment Reborn saw Mammon, he knew something was up.

"VOI! Who told you to go off on your own?!" Squalo appeared behind the two, followed by a large robot and the boy with the crown.

It was then when a man with scars appeared just right behind them. He gave them all a glare, and for that moment, all of them were unable t move because of the intensity of his bloodlust.

Natsuki glared back, but not as powerful as the scarred man, "Xanxus…"

"Sawada Natsuki," Xanxus replied. "I'll kill you right here, right now…" he said as his hands glowed dark orange. The others around him looked at their boss warily, as if asking of their boss was really serious in using his power here.

But a pickaxe stopped his actions. "Hold on there Xanxus," All eyes turned to reveal Iemitsu in his orange get-up, along with Basil. "I'll take charge from here whether you like it or not,"

"Dad!" Natsuki shouted.

"What the hell are you doing here, sticking your nose into this business late?" Squalo shouted. "All you do is stay idle!"

Basil gritted his teeth, "What was that?!" Basil said, holding his rage in.

"Basil, stand down," Iemitsu ordered. "I was not just idling around. I've been waiting for a reply from the Ninth regarding your misconduct, and his decision for it," he then showed a rolled up paper, "And here is his direct order," he announced.

Basil went down and went to Natsuki, "Here is the direct order of the Ninth, Natsuki-dono," he said as he gave him the letter.

He opened the scroll revealing his Dying Flame Seal on it. Natsuki read the letter, and was shocked at what he had read, but his father summarized it for his guardians who don't understand Italian.

It said that all the while, he had thought that Iemitsu's son, Natsuki was a worthy successor as the Vongola Decimo, and had acted as such. But he explains that maybe because he was close to death, his intuition acted up, making him choose another successor, which is Xanxus, stating that he is as worthy as Natsuki to become the Decimo. But he knew that there will be others, who would complain about the change in succession, but he doesn't wish for his family to fight among itself for no reason at all. And so, they will begin to battle to decide who will be the official successor through a method that all could agree on.

"And thus," Iemitsu finished, "The Candidates, Sawada Natsuki and Xanxus will battle for the right to the Vongola Rings." He announced.

All went silent for a while, taking in the information that had been laid in front of them. They are to fight for the Rings and also the right to be named as the Vongola Decimo.

"And that is where we come in," two similar voices was heard and appeared just near the location of Iemitsu. They were identical masked women with pink hair, wearing the same get-up. "We, the Cervello, have received the same order of the Vongola Nono to be the official judges of the Ring Battles." one of them said.

Natsuki recognized those pink women who were experts when it comes to judging battles within the mafia, and they were never biased. He knew that this had to be a fair fight for everyone.

"The first battle will be the battle of the Sun Guardians," they announced. "The venue for that would be outside Namimori Private Academy at eight in the evening," they announced. "For that, we will leave you to your vices until then…" they said as they suddenly left.

They were all too surprised at how fast the women move, but then, they would never know.

"So tomorrow I will EXTREMELY fight…" Ryohei muttered.

"Just one more thing, Sawada Natsuki, Iemitsu," all attention drew at Xanxus, "Just in case you plan anything that I wouldn't like during the matches…" he smirked evilly, "I don't even need to say what will happen to your precious princess," he said.

Something in Natsuki's guts rolled.

"Sorry for being late~! Sun Guardian Lussuria here~" a jolly voice said. The man with the sunglasses appeared next to Xanxus, "I had to check her fever temperature and sedate her so that she wouldn't try anything to escape before I bring her here, but I let Bel-chan go ahead of me,"

"I don't like being near whiny peasant girls," the crowned teen replied.

Their eyes widened when they saw the sleeping form of a brunette in her pajamas. She looked like she was having a good dream, and all wished that she never wakes up from the nightmare that she was about to wake up to at any given time.

"Nee-san!"

"Hime-sama!"

"Tsuna-neechan!"

"Tsuna!"

Iemitsu glared, "What are you aiming at with kidnapping my daughter, Xanxus?" he demanded.

Lussuria frowned, "Now calm down, we're not going to harm her, at least not right now,"

Xanxus smirked, "Like I said, it's to keep you from doing anything funny while the battle is being commenced. If you want your sister to live, Sawada Natsuki, don't you even dare pull a stunt that I wouldn't like,"

"YOU BASTARD!" Natsuki shouted. All of a sudden, the Varia disappeared like bubbles, leaving them all baffled. Natsuki collapsed to the ground, teeth gritted.

Iemitsu tried to suppress his rage. Even though his daughter hated him, he cares for her deeply. Now that she was at the hands of the Varia, no one can guarantee her safety anymore.

**And cut! A kidnapped Tsuna is the last thing you expected, right? **

**I'll leave it as that for the next few days. I've been motivated by your reviews for me to update sooner than I had originally planned. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**REVIEW~!**

**Next Chapter: Pending Collision**


	17. Pending Collision

**A lot of you has been guessing what happened the moment Tsuna got kidnapped. I wonder as well. I'm not going to reply to your assumptions since I don't want to give out accidental spoilers to the readers of this fic. It's a little complicated, and I prefer if I keep it under wraps for a while. **

**This is going to be just filler, since I'm having trouble with rereading the next chapter. There had been some conflicts, but I'm already working on it. **

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 17 Pending Collision**

"What? Tsunarumi-chan got kidnapped by the Varia?" Dino asked in shock at the news. It was a good thing that Kyouya was in the baths when Iemitsu called him later that day. "How did this happen?"

"According to Giotto, my nephew, Lussuria and Belphegor went to get her while Levi had search parties to look for Lambo as both a diversion and to kill him. They got her inside Giotto's house where Tsuna was staying for the time being while she was sick. She has only gotten better today, and was ready to attend school but they took her as hostage. It appears Xanxus doesn't want us to do anything funny that he wouldn't like, or he'll kill her…" the words seem too bitter in Iemitsu's taste.

Dino was having a hard time processing this. "The fact that they were using the common weak spot of Natsuki's family is too much…they have been protective over Tsuna for a long time, and her being captured placed their wills down the drain…I hope Kyouya doesn't get any wind of this too early…" he wished. "If he finds out, he'll go ballistic…"

"How come?" Iemisu wondered.

Dino cocked his head to the side, "Huh? You don't know?"

"About what, exactly?" Iemitsu said.

Dino was sweating bullets right now. How clueless can the man be about his daughter? Well, that's what he gets for ceasing all contacts with his family in the first place. You either get left out, or you are literally thrown out of the information gathering in a family. But he would die once he gets wind of it…but then, Iemitsu is her father, but the said daughter hated the said father. "N-Nevermind that, what's important is that they keep their word in not harming her," he turned back the subject. If Tsuna was hiding it from his father, then it would be better if he doesn't discover it anytime soon unless something happens.

"I know Xanxus will keep his word, but he has a way of finding loopholes. I'm afraid on what will happen along the matches. The first match will be Ryohei against Lussuria, and with their fighting styles…"

"No one would know which style will win, am I right?" Dino continued. Then he heard some footsteps coming. He knew that it was the prefect coming back from the baths. "I need to go. Tell me what happened after the Sun match," he said and hung up.

The door slid open revealing a very relaxed prefect. "I see the match has begun," he said. "I can hear you through the corridor," he revealed.

Dino nodded. From his expression, he didn't hear about Tsuna being abducted. "You were Sasagawa Ryohei's classmate, aren't you? Are you at least worried that he is fighting?" he wondered.

Kyouya crossed his arms, "Sasagawa is an idiotic herbivore, but he will fight for something with all his strength. Though it's sometimes through herbivorous reasons," he said as he went to his share of the room.

Dino sighed. _'And one of those reasons is to save the life of your girlfriend,'_ he thought.

…

Giotto's house was silent, even though Natsuki, his guardians, father, Alaude, Kusakabe, Lampo, G. and Daemon were inside the living room. Natsuki had just relayed what happened when they met the Varia, and the fact that they abducted Tsuna before Iemitsu had announced the execution of the Ring Battles.

"So in other words," Mukuro said, "They are using Hime as a way to win? What could they accomplish in that?"

"I don't know as well, but I can tell there is more to that…" Iemitsu explained.

Alaude sighed, "Well there are top three problems we are going to face with her disappearance," all eyes were on him, he held up three fingers, "Three, school duties, two, Nana-san, and one, Kyouya,"

All shivered at the thought of Kyouya. "Now that you mention it…" Yamamoto said, "Once he finds out about it, he'll blame Natsuki and Giotto-sempai for it once something happens to Tsuna and the school…"

"I believe Kyou-san will go on a killing spree for that," Kusakabe said. Though it's against him to describe his boss for that, but it was the truth, and the top of the list is Natsuki and Giotto, right next to Iemitsu.

"He is scary enough when he's annoyed, and I don't want to imagine him in a fit…" Lampo shivered at the thought.

Daemon then suggested something, "If what you are worrying is her school duties and Mama," he then conjured a purplish mist and formed it into human shape. Not long after, it took the shape of Tsuna in her uniform. "My illusions and my tolerance in controlling them miles away from me will be the key. No one would suspect a thing, and if ever Mama comes around, she will be there."

G. raised a brow, "Let me guess, you used that in classes when you get lazy, don't you?" he guessed.

"Nufufufu, only a few times a week. And besides, I know what Hime does in school, and you and I both know what her personality is," Daemon reasoned.

Giotto realized something, "Daemon, your idea is foolproof. Since your strength in maintaining them is stronger than Mukuro, it just might work…"

"Ano…" Natsuki said, "Why can't Mukuro conjure it? He's much closer in school, right?"

"While I can," Mukuro said, "It takes a great deal of power for me to maintain my disguise for twelve hours a day in a strong point, and to conjure Hime's illusion at the same time for the same amount of time. It would exhaust me greatly. But I assure you that Fran's presence in the school could make her illusion foolproof for twelve hours,"

Daemon sighed, "Which means I will have to attend my classes on Monday then,"

Alaude smirked, "Serves you right," he said.

Daemon looked at Alaude mischievously, "Don't you come killing me once I get you in your dreams and create something that would make you unable to look at Giotto for weeks," he warned playfully.

Alaude was about to beat him up when Giotto held him on the shoulders, as if stopping the catastrophe that might occur any second. His house was destroyed as it is already. He didn't need the living room to get destroyed as well. He returned to the original conversation subject, "What's left now is, how we are going to get her back?" Giotto wondered.

"I could only imagine what is happening to her right now…" Gokudera said while on the sidelines, Yamamoto had his hands in his, squeezing it for comfort.

…

Tsuna stared at the room in front of her, "Um…this is where I'm staying?" she wondered, pointing at the luxurious room in front of her. The moment she came to the place the Varia is staying at, she expected an eerie prison like the ones on the stations, but this was like welcoming a guest.

Lussuria nodded, "Of course. The place doesn't have prisons, so we will just have to make do with this. Besides, you are not just a prisoner here dear, you're an asset," he explained.

"Well that makes perfect sense," Tsuna replied. "But why don't you have prisons?" she wondered as she got to the bed and sat down.

Lussuria followed suit, "Well, we have torture chambers, because we don't need to keep prisoners. Only hostages that never stays alive for more than twenty-four hours, so there, we have no prisons," he then sat down at the chair near the make-up table, "But I'm amazed that you didn't claw anyone of us and went along silently while we tried to take you away. You must be very brave,"

Tsuna sighed, "Let's just say I have to. There would be no point to escape at all knowing that you guys will be ordered to kill me after my recapture," she merely replied. "The match for tomorrow is the Sun Match, right?" she asked him.

The man nodded, "And it will be me against that boxer boy,"

"Can I watch it?"

"I guess Boss can let you watch it on screen," he said. "Well, you are essential for the finale of the matches, so we should keep you posted on what is happening. There is always Gola Mosca to embed a live camera,"

Tsuna just nodded. It was then when an explosion was heard. Both got out of the room and looked to their right to see that the corridor on that direction was full of black smoke.

Lussuria looked at her, "Looks like Squalo and Bel-chan are fighting again," he informed her, "Don't worry, they will not die immediately, they are just…well…_trying_ to kill each other,"

"I see. I feel like I'm seeing one of Gokudera-kun and Yamamoto's rare fights, with Gokudera-kun trying to blow up Yamamoto, or Kyouya biting Nii-san to death…" Tsuna said.

Lussuria looked at her, "Nii-san? I thought you were the older twin in the family?"

Tsuna shook his head, "Yes, I'm the older one, but I call Natsuki's Sun guardian Nii-san because he insisted on it," she replied.

"Oh I see. Well, I better get there and calm both sides down. Have a good sleep then~" he said before he left her in the room.

Tsuna sighed and returned to the room. The moment she closed it, the door locked itself. She smirked, "An automatic lock I see. Oh well, might as well make the most of the luxuries," she said as she flopped down the bed and reached for the remote of the thirty-two-inch television in front. She was going to enjoy herself while it lasts. She could only say sorry to the ones who are worrying about her being in solitary confinement. She was having the luxury of her life. She remembered when they went to Ritz Hotel, for a summer mission, and to Marina Bay Sands before that assignment.

There was one thing that bothered her though. She was very worried for Ryohei for his match tomorrow, and even she herself couldn't tell who will win the matches.

…

Natsuki got to school the next day, and almost fainted when he saw his sister in school, going through the corridor to her classroom. He remembered that it was Daemon's illusion that was doing it, so he just ignored it and went to his class. Fran was there, looking quite sleepy. He was worried for he never showed that kind of tired eyes before.

"Fran, what happened to you?" he asked, "You looked like you hadn't slept a wink,"

"Shishou didn't make me sleep for more than three hours. He woke me up at eleven and then started training with me…" he complained.

"What does he intend to do by doing so?" Natsuki wondered.

Fran rubbed his eyes, "He said that it was to supply the Hime-sama illusion intact while Daemon-niisan is in another side of Namimori. The distance didn't actually work on a one-way. I'm the second power source, and thus, making Hime-sama's image infallible and undetected by any other illusionists," he explained.

Natsuki somehow got it, "Well, how are you going to survive throughout the class?" he wondered.

Fran waved his hand off, "I'll manage. They bought the excuse that I work night shift in a convenience store part-time, so they would understand…why do you think I always have this face?" he answered.

"Oh…okay…" Natsuki replied.

Classes went on as usual, with no further damage to anything in his day. On the back of Natsuki's mind was the impending battle of Ryohei against the Sun Guardian Lussuria, who had been with the crowned bastard that he called 'Bel-chan' when he came with his sister unconscious after being sedated. That was all they knew about him, nothing more. That night, Reborn had disappeared somewhere and when he woke up, he was already gone from his makeshift hammock in his room and his mother had said that he had gone out just a bit earlier. Clearly something was not right for the Arcobaleno to disappear like that in any other circumstance.

There must be something that had bothered him. His father and Basil had been gone as well.

…

Ryohei couldn't concentrate on his training after school. He was worried for the adopted sister that they all cared about. Tsuna was not just a sister. She was a friend and the encourager of everyone she knew and love. Hearing that she was abducted by the scariest people of the Vongola was a great worry for all of them, even Knuckle and Ugetsu, who were known to be calm and collected, were dead worried. One could tell that Alaude was as well.

"What are you moping about, kora!?" Colonello wondered as Falco placed him on the ground, his trusty rifle on his hands.

Ryohei stood up from the rock he was sitting on, "Colonello-shishou," he called.

Colonello instantly knew that he was worried about the Sawada girl the moment he read his eyes, "Don't answer, I know." he said before Ryohei could speak.

"Sawada-chan was the first real friend of Kyoko before Kurokawa came along. I don't want to see her sad because of what had happened to Sawada-chan. As a brother, I need to make Kyoko smile again," he explained.

Colonello smiled, "Then, shall we do the final training?" he offered.

Ryohei nodded.

…

Iemitsu, Reborn and Basil were at Namimori Park that afternoon. Ever since this morning, they had been gone to make contact with the Vindice. As much as they hated to say it, the Vindice was the only way to get close contact with the _Sentinella_. They were not only known to gather information, they were already spies that are for-hire when it interests them only. It was hard to do so, but they needed the help of _Sentinella_ in the name of Iemitsu as the External Advisor and leader of CEDEF.

"How long are we going to wait Master?" Basil wondered, "On time difference alone, it's hard to wait in midafternoon," he stated.

Reborn then looked at the messenger bird and landed on Iemitsu's extended arms, "They took a quick reply," he said as he opened the letter.

The moment he read it, his eyes widened. "What? They had already started working on it?" he said.

"What do you mean Iemitsu?" Reborn demanded. Iemitsu handed Reborn the contents and was also surprised at the letter:

_To the External Advisor of the Vongola and Leader of CEDEF,_

_The request that you are asking the Sentinella of has already been requested by another, thus, we are rejecting your plea for help in deciding the next heir of the Vongola. As of now, Sentinella is working on it and will be working in the shadows and where you least expect it._

_Up until that point, we are not to give more information on that matter, and just let it go through. Do not for a second try and find out who the dispatched are, and they will reveal themselves in due time. The Sentinella leader knew that you would ask of this, but to garner more information on the matter, you will have to hunt down one of their agents (if you can). The Sentinella will contact you very soon, or as they choose._

_Bermuda von Vichtenstein_

Reborn glared at the name of the Clear Pacifier holder. So it was him who had replied to the letter that they had sent. "Who could have requested the help of _Sentinella_ ahead?"

"I don't know myself either. Whoever it is, I hope that the person is on our side. I could only wonder how that eccentric organization will do it. Their plan tactics has the same rate as the famed Varia Quality. They carry out missions that have high success and life loss rate, but they perform according to the direct orders of their leader, which they had called in the mafia as the _Regina della Sentinella_ the last time I had heard about them right after Natsuki left,"

"The _Sentinella_ were also the one who released Mukuro right after sending him and his acquaintances to Vindice. They recruit the best, and the tamable, if they know how to control the people, which, I will not be surprised if they do," Reborn informed. "But it was thanks to that organization that Mukuro had become the Mist guardian of your son, which puts us in a great advantage,"

Iemitsu was startled, "So they had that kind of privilege…using prisoners as assets as long as they know how to get along with them…"

"So their organization has some criminals in them?" Basil asked.

"_Former_ criminals, Basil," Reborn corrected, "They were released by the Vindice through legal means, and when I mean by legal means, by the request of _Sentinella_ to strengthen their arsenal,"

"In exchange for freedom, they are to do the biddings of the leader, but this is the first time I heard that _Sentinella _actually had the brains to recruit from the cells of Vindice, and I am also surprised that Vindice is permitting it."

"Mukuro mentioned to me that he was the only one who had been requested for release, along with his subordinates, Ken, Chikusa and a girl named M.M., other than that, his brother, Daemon had been an escapee from the clutches of the Estraneo and was adopted and lived here for the rest of his childhood," he said.

Iemitsu's brows furrowed, "Who could have adopted him that easily? Not even asking who the boy is?" he wondered.

Reborn knew the answer, "I talked to Daemon about that when I met him for the first time. The one they call Mother had been a former member of the mafia, and a skilled illusionist, but she had left and found her a year later when she was on a vacation. She adopted him, and then followed by a girl named Chrome, who was originally named as Nagi." He started. "After then came Mukuro and then his student Fran. There was one thing in common for all of them," he said.

Basil got it, "They all have the natural ability as illusionists!" he concluded.

Reborn nodded, "That's why I still went by my decision to make Mukuro Natsuki's guardian for that very reason. It's very hard to think that he might turn into a traitor, but he wouldn't risk the freedom given to him by the leader of _Sentinella_ that easily."

Things were getting mysterious around the organization. It was true that _Sentinella_ had been around, but the mafia world had forgotten them so easily over the generations, that they didn't even conclude that their sometimes disappearing subordinates were actually a part of this organization, and no one knew that these people worked like the CIA in America. They were an enigma, and none of the mafia families had ever realized that the organization was watching over them, gathering information from under their noses.

But when they had a change in leadership, the _Sentinella_ had re-emerged because of the news of the mafia world that the leader took a famous casino out of the hands of a Mafiosi who promised it to them should they succeed in the close to impossible task he has given them. But many think that he is an idiot for thinking lowly that they could not accomplish it, and lost all of his money and properties only for the loss of one of the most profitable casinos in the world.

"What we need to do now is to locate these agents that had been dispatched to fix this problem we are facing. The faster we find them, the faster we rescue Tsuna from Xanxus' clutches…" Reborn suggested.

They never knew that the agents were just right under their noses.

…

At the _Sentinella _Headquarters just under the Hibari Estate, Irie typed endlessly after finding out from Bermuda through a letter that the Vongola had finally asked to assist the formidable Vongola candidate. That afternoon, he had called all of them except for the guardians taking the Ring Battles. As much as possible, Tsuna had forbidden them to pass down the knowledge to them, so that they would not think of anything else.

A few minutes later, several tunnels opened to the headquarters. They had chosen that the Hibari Estate would be a good place because it was the former settlement of the Hibari's former involvement with the mafia two generations back, and the twins had knowledge of that. They were not idiots not to know that they were the direct descendants of the former First Cloud Guardian where Alaude was named after.

The tunnels were served to connect with their own houses as a pod to transport them to the base with a secret code given to them. It was to ensure that no one else gets to see the base. Tsuna's house was clearly out of the question in terms of inserting a secret tunnel, what with them knowing that Reborn will snoop around her room once the baby arrives with her twin. She always had to make due with using the direct passage, which is at the library of the estate, or behind the garden gazebo.

"What is this about the Vindice telling them that we had already started performing the mission that had been requested to us beforehand?" G. demanded.

They all went to the table while Irie was at the supercomputer. Spanner came soon after, coming from his lab. "It appears that the Vongola had asked us to assist the formidable successor of the Vongola, that was all," he said.

"If it would be the formidable one, I'd call on Tsuna," Knuckle said. "But seeing that she is already ineligible, well, we all know who's next,"

G. glared at him, "This is serious Knuckle!" he scolded.

Giotto closed his eyes, deep in thought, but opened it again, "Look, Tsuna had already given us our orders, and we are here to perform them. The Vindice informed us that Reborn and the others might start investigating on the agents of _Sentinella_, and all of us know that once we are found by the destined client for that, we are obliged to inform them when they needed to hear it. Tsuna knew that this would happen, but for the time being," he said, "We must still act clueless over this matter. The only ones that they predict who had this kind of knowledge in the mafia are G., Lampo, Daemon, and now, me," he said. "Iemitsu-jiisan told me the truth he knew last night after you all left, since I had the right to know who the hell destroyed a part of my house,"

Lampo raised his hand, "Are we going to act clueless or give out hits of it?" he wondered.

"We must act that we don't know anything about _Sentinella_, and we are not to give out hints either, or our plans would be ruined," Daemon explained.

Alaude sighed, "Once Kyouya gets wind about this, he would not be too happy," he said.

Giotto looked at him, "This is how it's supposed to be Alaude. They must not know."

"_All_ of them will not be pleased once they get wind of it. Once this is over, they will ask a lot of questions," Knuckle said.

Irie then spoke, "Which we will provide them with the best of our abilities. Bur right now, we are in the middle of the blueprints, and we have to move according to plan."

All nodded in agreement.

"Which reminds me, Knuckle," G. called, "Are you going to Ryohei's match tonight?" he asked.

The teen shook his head, "Colonello asked me to distract Kyoko when he comes to the match. We have to wait for her to fall asleep before we could go." He replied.

Giotto leaned on his chair, "Well, before that, we should give the Vongola some contact. Vindice said to send them a letter the moment they got theirs, and judging from the screen…"

One look and Irie understood the order of the adviser and pressed a button, revealing a scene from Namimori Park where Iemitsu, Reborn and Basil were, and the opened letter was in the Sawada patriarch's hands. "We should send them a letter right now,"

Spanner then raised his hand, "I got it covered," he said as he took out a robot bird, "This is programmed to self-destruct once I give the order," he said.

Giotto smiled, "Perfect,"

…

Night came, and Tsuna was dreading the fact of what will transpire in the first match. She just hopes that Ryohei was alright afterwards. Then a knock on the door was heard, revealing a floating baby in a cloak, "They have already arrived at the school," he informed.

Tsuna looked at him blankly, "So I see, but why are you still here?" she asked.

"I'm merely an illusion." The Mammon real illusion brought out a device and placed it on the wide television screen, "This will enable you to see the match through the Gola Mosca." He then pressed a button on the remote, "Happy watching…" the illusion said before fading.

Tsuna sighed as she turned to the television, showing the grounds of the school, and in the middle of all of it was a boxing ring. She took note of the numerous lights attached above it, and a fence covering the entire ring so that no one would even dare escape the match.

There she saw Natsuki, Reborn, Yamamoto, Lambo, Gokudera and Ryohei. The others were absent, guessing that they were training extra before their turn comes up, namely Mukuro and Kyouya—who was gone at the moment with Dino. She could only guess that the head prefect was being kept in the dark. All of them were glaring at the Varia. The real Mammon was standing at the hand of the Gola Mosca as a stand.

It was time for the battle of the Sun Guardians.

**So, how is it? I've been having trouble in processing the matches, and rereading them proves to be complicated with me missing out on ever little details. The next chapter will be up in a few days, so just wait!**

**Next Chapter: Battle of the Sun Guardians**

**REVIEW~!**


	18. Battle of the Sun Guardians

**Okay, I was supposed to update this during my semestral break next week, but since I don't know when I'll have internet connection, I just had to do this! **

**Enjoy this chapter!**

**Chapter 18 Battle of the Sun Guardians**

The moment the Varia arrived; all Natsuki was thinking was how to get his sister back from their clutches. God only knows what she is suffering right now. The entire time she was missing, he couldn't even think straight, resulting to being hit by Reborn and Leone the Mallet. It happened to him ten times ever since. Reborn never liked his student greatly distracted in the first place.

Belphegor smirked, "Shishishi~ are you worried about the little hostage we had taken from you?" he wondered.

Gokudera lost his temper, "Why you-!"

Yamamoto grabbed his shoulder, "Stop it Hayato." He said, "If you do anything brash, anything can happen to Tsuna at this state…" he theorized.

Gokudera tried to calm himself down. It was a good thing that his boyfriend's hand helped calm him down.

"Where is she?" Natsuki demanded.

It was then when Mammon conjured a portal mirror showing her in a room similar to where she is at.

From the screen where Tsuna was watching, she knew that it was all but an illusion, but they didn't know that, since at the illusion, she was asleep with some sort of bracelet on her left wrist. "She's fine for now. The bracelet that you see on her wrist is a way of controlling her and not to go ballistic in thinking of running away. Of course, the moment she had been into our custody, she seemed tame, and she had the brains on not to do anything that might harm her, since there was no use if she ever tries to run away. But the bracelet was a precaution,"

Natsuki clenched his fists. His sister was going to be like that for a week and he can't even do anything about it. She will be restrained as long as she stayed there. "Why is she unconscious right now if there is no need to restrain her?" he demanded.

"Like I said, it's a precaution, and she went to bed on her own," he lied.

Then the Cervello arrived, "Are the contenders present?" they asked.

"Right here!" Ryohei shouted.

"Present," Lussuria replied.

"Both of you, inside the ring," the Cervello ordered.

It was then when Yamamoto suggested to form a circle and cheered for the boxing captain. Tsuna laughed on the screen at the childishness of the boys before the match begins. But she knew it was just little moments that they must treasure before they go off and fight that could cost their lives.

The two of them took off their tops as they entered the ring. When Ryohei entered, he realized that Lussuria's left leg was covered. But he paid no heed to it. He just went to the ring and one thought was placed on his head. He had to win.

"The rule is to fight your opponent until he could fight no more, and acquire the other half of the ring you possess. The fighters will be Sasagawa Ryohei versus Lussuria, battle start!"

…

Tsuna bit her lower lip as the match began. The lights of the ring suddenly flashed, nearly blinding all of the ones in the vicinity. All of them immediately wore glasses to see the match, but on Tsuna's case, she didn't need to because the camera on the Gola Mosca adjusted so she could see it like she is really wearing sunglasses.

She saw that Ryohei couldn't see at all in the ring, while Lussuria already had sunglasses on in the first place. It was just an accessory of the man, but she couldn't help thinking that he knew it beforehand. All the while, Lussuria flirted with him that almost made Tsuna puke. He rambled about admiring the white haired teen's build and his plans on _taking him home_ after the match ended. Now her suspicions were confirmed that Lussuria was indeed gay.

No matter how she looks at it, Lussuria will always be the mother figure of the Varia…

The match had begun and Ryohei was just guessing on where to hit, since he couldn't see. She felt sorry for his disadvantage all the while. Lussuria wasn't even trying on fighting the boxer. He was just playing around while he was punching him in points that he knew would do a lot of damage to Ryohei. For one thing, Lussuia had more experience than him, even though she had dispatched him on a few summer missions for the past two years. But then, Lussuria is older, thus, he had more experience in the high ranked missions than he had done in the past.

She watched as the battle progresses, with Lussuria just playing with Ryohei all the while, and the boxer was already sweating from the heat the light is giving off. Sweating was bad for Ryohei. Once he gets dehydrated completely, there would be trouble ahead.

"Sempai!" Natsuki yelled when Lussuria had managed to hit him square on the cheek. Ryohei was thrown to the edge of the ring where he is burned by the ropes and falls to the ground. In an instant, Tsuna flinched at the sight.

She could hear the others speak, "This is bad!" Yamamoto said.

Lussuri smiled, "You're getting closer to my type of body…" he said as he licked his lips.

No matter how they look at it, it was too gross. Tsuna was about to puke. She was glad that there was a bathroom in the room, and a bucket just in case. Mammon had warned her about the antics of Lussuria once he happens to see something he likes.

"That pervert…" Gokudera grumbled. Tsuna agreed in an instant.

Ryohei got up again and went forward and landed a hit on Lussuria's chin, but Tsuna knew something was off. The man had let him hit on purpose. Hearing the conversation of Belphegor and Mammon was proof of that theory. The man was merely playing around.

Ryohei felt Lussuria in the air, and used his left arm to punch the incoming assassin, but the moment he lunged the hit, he had managed to punch Lussuria's steel plate on his knees, completely injuring Ryohei's left arm into process.

He fell to the ground in pain as he clutched his arm. Lussuria branded his steel plate on his knees, telling him that it was indestructible no matter how hard he punches it. His fist was done for, and what was worse, he was dehydrating, and fast.

It was then when she saw a white bird, a falcon, carrying a blond baby in green army clothes. She recognized that baby anywhere. It was Colonello, the Rain Arcobaleno.

"Get up, kora!" he shouted at the ring. "Kyoko caught me and made me late. Thanks to Knuckle I managed to get here," he explained.

"What? You were playing with Kyoko this whole time?" Natsuki wondered. Tsuna could tell that there was a twinge of jealousy in it, but then, she will have to ignore that for a while longer, "Show your real strength, Ryohei!"

In a few seconds, he struggled but got up. His sweat was evaporating now, which is the effect of the heat in the arena.

Tsuna noticed something in between the matches. All the while, he had been using his left rather than his right. _'Could it be…?'_ she thought, and then smiled. "Well, well, Nii-san has improved well…"

Back at the ring, Ryohei had explained the power of his right fist, but Lussuria failed himself to listen. In just a split second, he started to use his footwork to surround Ryohei, and in the process, making some copies of himself because of the speed. He got hit again, but he struggled to stand up once more. Lussuria did his fast footwork again, and Ryohei managed to give him a punch that he called Maximum Cannon, which Lussuria managed to take no kind of damage of.

But then he was not aiming for the man at all. Ryohei told them to look up to see that the middle lights shattered. Afterwards, he continuously used his fists and attacked nothing in particular, until all of the lights were destroyed, shards of broken mirrors were scattered everywhere.

Lussuri clenched his teeth, "To think that the mere pressure of those punches broke the lights…" he muttered.

Tsuna muttered, "No…that's not it…"

Belphegor pointed at Lussuria to look at Ryohei's body to see salt crystals all over his body as a result of his sweat evaporating earlier, and leaving traces of salt that he used to destroy the lights into smithereens.

Realizing this, Lussuria just laughed it off and dodged Ryohei's incoming punch and landed on his head, and then returned to the ground. He used the chance to punch Ryohei, purposely missing him, and because of the pressure of his punch, the salt crystals from his body were blown off and a part of the lights again shattered.

"Varia quality never ceases to impress me…" Tsuna said as he sighed, getting a bit tired from watching, but she had to see the results.

"No matter what situation this is, it still is seen as a game and not a fight, given the level of our abilities," Lussuria said.

Ryohei seemed to get ticked off, "Say that after you taste the right fist!" he shouted.

Lussuri had seemed to be annoyed by the low IQ of the teenager in front of him, "You just don't get it do you? I already know your attack!"

"You'll never know until you try!" he insisted.

Tsuna smiled, "Ah, I see now…Maximum Cannon is an attack that unleashes the power of all his cells…" she then frowned, "But…that energy hasn't completely transferred to his fists…"

It was then when Colonello ordered him to use all of his energy for the one blow, and Ryohei carried out the order, but not before Lussuria dodging him andusing his footwork again and went around him. He was faster than before. But Ryohei stood in his place and tried to pinpoint his movements, and saw his chance. He used his Maximum Cannon again, but Lussuria knew better and used his metal plated knee again on him, severely injuring his right fist as well.

"The percentage was only ninety…" Tsuna murmured as she watched with worry at the boxer who fell to the floor and clutched his right arm from the pain.

Squalo then complained about him making the others wait. Lussuria frowned on him being too impatient, and started to give him the final blow.

Tsuna buried her face in her hands, "Someone please, make a miracle happen!" she groaned. His big brother figure was about to lose when a shout was heard.

"Onii-chan!"

"Ryohei!"

The voices of Kyoko and Knuckle appeared with Hana. Natsuki panicked that Kyoko and Knuckle had come in such a time, and Iemitsu and Basil materialized behind him. It appeared that Iemitsu thought of the fact of leading Ryohei's sister and cousin here for a reason, and Tsuna was about to see it unfold.

Kyoko and Knuckle headed to the boy. Lussuria announced to the two that he was about to finish him off with a good hit, and Kyoko had reached her limit.

"Onii-chan! You promised me that you would not fight like this!" the others sweat dropped, thinking that she thought that it was just another fight, but Kyoko knew the truth, "You promised that if you would fight, you would do it with all your power so that you would not endanger yourself again!"

Knuckle looked at Ryohei, "You promised the two of us on not to worry about you any longer after your fight with the delinquents with Tsuna. Look what you are getting yourself into. Are you going to throw away that promise?"

Ryohei moved and sat up, with one knee propped on the ground, "Like I would forget that promise or throw it out of the window," he replied to the two. "I promised you two and Sawada-chan that…I will not lose again!" he said as he fully stood up.

Tsuna smiled in satisfaction, "The promise that you made the three of us sent your transfer rate to a hundred…" Tsuna said with a pleased tone.

At the arena, Lussuria paid no heed about his sudden burst of energy and began to hand a hit on Ryohei using his metal knee protector and attacked, but Ryohei had the full power now. He landed the completed Maximum Cannon on him, breaking the protector into process, and knocked Lussuria out.

Ryohei chose this time to get the other half of the ring and combined the two rings. The Cervello then announced the winner, "The Winner of the Sun Match is Sasagawa Ryohei," they announced.

"YES! I'VE DONE IT TO THE EXTREME!" he said with energy flaring in his body.

Tsuna smiled at this, and suddenly, the screen flashed and blackened. Tsuna puffed his cheeks, "What a cliffhanger…" she complained. But then, she was happy that her big brother figure was victorious. She only wonders what will happen to Lussuria once he awakes…

…

"Congratulations, Sempai," Natsuki said.

"Just call me Nii-chan like Sawada-chan, other Sawada!" he said.

'But you were a bit reckless out there Ryohei," Knuckle said, and smiled, "But you made me and Kyoko proud, and if Tsuna was here, she would be too," he said with a smile.

Colonello then came flying into Knuckle's shoulder, "I did good in training him didn't I?"

"You always liked compliments, don't you little baby?" Knuckle replied. "But you're right…"

They looked at the direction of the Varia, with Mosca carrying Lussuria's unconscious body. "Shishishi~ Lussuria will be hurting the moment he wakes up," Belphegor said.

It was then when the Cervello announced, "The next match will be the Thunder Match,"

Natsuki could only look at Lambo and panicked.

…

The moment Natsuki and the others got home; Nana already prepared dinner for them and complained that they were out too much. Fuuta was already in bed by the time they got home. The two just made up an excuse that was buyable to the woman, and they all went to Natsuki's room and Iemitsu told them about what happened with their attempted correspondence with the _Sentinella_.

"What did they say?" Natsuki wondered.

Iemitsu sighed, "It appears that they have already started in carrying out the request before we even sent them," he informed.

"What do you mean by that Dad?"

"The new leader had already received such a request," Reborn said, "The leader and her agents had already started meddling before we even had the thought of asking for their aid…"

Bianchi was a little intrigued about it, "What did they say?"

"The Vindice directly informed us, but _Sentinella_ is yet to come into contact. They said that they have already carried out who is worthy to be the Vongola Decimo, but we have no idea that they had already dispatched agents to watch our every move even before the fiasco happened, let alone requesting for their aid earlier," Iemitsu continued.

"Someone else requested for their aid beforehand?" Natsuki said.

Iemitsu nodded. "The organization performs assignments in the shadows, and at most times, the ones who requested it doesn't even realize that they were already working on it, which could be disturbing, but in the end, it would all work out to their advantage. They gather information everywhere and always gets away with it. I wouldn't be surprised if they have a lot of information regarding the Vongola and its allies right now,"

"The only problem is to find out who requested this first, and who the dispatched agents are…" Reborn said. "_Sentinella_ or not, we have to find out who they are to properly carry out a plan that does not overlap theirs…it would be trivial, but it would be worth it."

It was then when a bird appeared on Natsuki's window. All looked at it and saw that it was a robot. On its belly, it was carrying a small pod that contained a letter, and around the neck of the bird was the insignia of _Sentinella_. Not wasting any moment, he took the pod. As soon as it was off, the bird automatically flew off, and in a few seconds, it blasted into smithereens.

"A self-destruct sequence was implanted on that mechanical bird," Bianchi concluded.

Natsuki took the letter off of the pod and opened it. He read the contents of the letter aloud:

_Vongola Candidate Sawada Natsuki,_

_On behalf of our esteemed leader, we have already started in carrying out who will have our favor as the Vongola Decimo. But the mystery of our identities as agents will prove to be challenging to you. Here is the order of our leader:_

_Retrieve Sawada Tsunarumi and endure the Battles, and we will reveal our decision and ourselves to you._

_Sentinella Advisor_

Natsuki read and reread the contents, but only one would register in his head. "We have to get Nee-san back to reveal themselves to us…"

"A hard task…Xanxus said specifically that if we try anything funny during the matches, Tsuna's life would be on the line…" Bianchi said.

Iemitsu sighed, "Then we wait and see what will happen. If Xanxus fails to keep his word, then we will save her no matter what,"

…

Giotto was annoyed as hell. When Tsuna had left him with the work, he didn't expect her to leave the difficult ones. For one thing, there were a lot of errands that were left to the _Sentinella_. He couldn't get how Tsuna had managed to do these things without breaking a nail, as if she had some kind of manicure treatments. She prefers to take care of her nails without using some sort of chemicals on her fingers.

Just after the Sun match, he had sent the impossible task letter to the Sawada residence. He had told them that they will only reveal themselves if they retrieve Tsuna in between the matches while they endure. It was a direct order from Tsuna, and he has no right to go against it unless something was undeniably wrong. But she never gets things wrong. She has her intuition on full throttle.

Giotto sighed, "I hope you are right about this one, Tsuna…"

…

Tsuna heard the door open to see Belphegor enter the room with her evening food. "Let me guess, Lussuria-san is still not awake?" she asked.

"Shishishi~ let's just say he can't move his being for the moment," he explained.

"That doesn't surprise me; he was hit at full force from his knee," she commented. "Who's up for tomorrow night?"

Belphegor smiled, "That would be Levi against that cow kid," he replied.

Tsuna sighed as she flopped on her bed and turned on the television, "He's not just a cow kid. There's more to him than meets the eye," she defended.

Belphegor went for the door, "Whatever floats your boat," he said as he left the room and the auto lock was activated.

Tsuna rolled on her stomach; eyes darted at the window showing a crescent moon, "I hope you will be okay, Lambo…"

**And that is that! I hope you guys at least liked this chapter. I had a lot of replaying to do while I was doing this. I kept repeating every episode to see how the matches had gone, and it was not pretty for my eyesight (Mom says so). **

**Well then~ REVIEW~!**

**Here's a little preview!**

**Next Chapter: Lambo of Different Worlds**

Lampo went back to his lab. The battle will start in a few minutes, and he had to be there. He cursed at the heavens forgetting that earlier, he had to submit a project in school. He skipped for the reason that his brother was really sick and he was the only relative present at the moment. But his Science teacher didn't let him slide, and he had to dump his brother in Natsuki's care while he rushed to the other side of Namimori to school and submit his work before the time deadline. Thankfully, he got through, but he had to get back to the house. He had some experiments to do.

The moment he stepped into his room's lab, he noticed something wrong, terribly wrong…

There on the table lies the purple bazooka, and the pink one was nowhere to be found. Lambo paled. "No…no, no, no!" he panicked as he grabbed the bazooka and went to his driver and went in the car. The driver didn't dare ask why the teenager was going to Nami-Private at this hour, but the look on his employer's face indicated that there was an emergency.

Stepping on it, he drove the car at full speed.

'_Dammit…of all the days for him to switch the bazookas…why now…? Tsuna is going to kill me!'_


	19. Lambo of Different Worlds

**I'm glad everyone reviewed positively concerning the sun match. I honestly didn't think that you guys would like it now….**

**But then I have to notice how some of you reviewed about my preview…but since I read those, I just couldn't wait for a few more days to update this! So now, I think when I have the internet connection, I will hurry up and update this.**

**By the way, do you like this fic's cover photo? **

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 19 Lambo of Different Worlds**

The next day, Lampo called Nami-Private to say that Lambo caught a cold and that he couldn't come to school for the next few days. Ryohei had been sent to the hospital from injuring his right arm from the fight, and thus he had a cast on him the next day when he went to school. But Lampo had called earlier at Natsuki's house, telling him to skip classes today so that he may show him something that might help with the match for tonight.

The mansion under the name of Lampo and Lampo's father was large, but not as large as the Vongola-owned properties. Natsuki was with Reborn and Iemitsu, along with Basil when they arrived. They were met by a butler that led them to the Bovino laboratory.

What they saw awed them. The lab was very high tech, but what amazed them was that there was electricity all over the rods that were displayed and on the machine. On the center of it was Lambo, with wires strapped onto him while in a plain white suit, with Lampo on the controls of the machine the five year-old was in. He was turning some knobs onto the machine, "Are you hurting somewhere Lambo?" he asked.

"The flashy bolts kept tickling me Nii-chan!" Lambo said as he was rolling on the floor giggling.

Lampo hummed, "A thousand volts…not bad Lambo," he said as he turned the knob higher, "Sorry if this is going to hurt Lambo," he warned as he pulled a lever.

A flash of lightning befell the five year-old, and he sputtered. After the shock, the boy fell, face flat on the floor. He sat up and sobbed, "It stings! Nii-chan!" Lambo started crying.

Lampo turned off the machine and took Lambo out of the wires attached to him and cradled him, "Now, now, at least your Electrico Cuoio is improving," he commented.

Lambo's eyes brightened, "Really?"

Lampo smiled back, "Really,"

That was when he noticed Natsuki and the others standing behind the door of the laboratory. All of them were staring at the brothers, and the laboratory. For a family so small, they sure fund a lot on researches and experiments. "Hey everyone," Lampo greeted.

"Natsuki-niichan!" Lambo called as well.

Natsuki went out of his daze, "Lampo-san, you told me that you have something to show me?" he wondered.

Lampo nodded as he noticed that Lambo had calmed down, "Are you okay now?" Lambo nodded, "Well then, let's go to my private part of the lab," he said as he led them to the corridor out of the lab they were once were. "Sorry, the lab we were in tests our Electrico Cuoio as we perfect it. My private lab is in my room which is on the fourth floor," he said as he carried Lambo.

"For a small family, you sure have a lot of money for researches," Reborn commented.

Lampo nodded, "Yeah they do, but I designed the labs myself when I moved. Since I was a kid, I always liked to do some experiments, and then I discovered my unique physiology from our mother's side, and I started improving it myself and Lambo as well," he said.

"Lambo-san will be vulnerable to the shiny zigzaggy sticks in the sky!" Lambo said gleefully.

Lambo smiled when Natsuki didn't get it, "He means the thunderbolts. He watched Hercules too much on Disney and thought that Zeus' thunderbolts were shiny sticks,"

"I see…" Natsuki replied.

"A wonderful kind of imagination," Iemitsu mused.

The walk was quite silent until they got to Lampo's room. It was adorned by green walls, curtains and others. The four poster bed's curtains were a lighter shade of green with golden embroideries. On the side of the room lies a walk-in closet full of different kinds of formal and casual clothes. The room is mostly composed of things normal for a fifteen year-old teenager. Computers, overstuffed shelves of books and action figures, nothing was amiss, until Lampo went to one of his figurine collection and pressed a switch.

The shelf of books moved back revealing a passage down. Lampo motioned for them to follow suit.

"Where are we going Lampo-san?" Natsuki wondered.

"This was an old house restored to its original state before I moved. I found this passage in the blueprints so I made this my own sanctum." He explained.

Another steel door was ahead of them, and Lampo punched in a code and a fingerprint scanner. The door slid open revealing an even larger laboratory than the one they were at before. There were different kinds of parts from different weapons.

He placed Lambo down and the white suited boy went to his play area at the side of the lab, "Have you guys ever heard of the Ten-Year Bazooka, by any chance?" he asked.

Natsuki didn't know a thing about it, but Reborn and his father did, "The Ten-Year Bazooka is the creation of the Bovino Family. Whosoever is shot will switch places with his other self ten years later for five minutes," Reborn answered.

Lambo went to his large mahogany desk where two bazookas were placed standing up. He took the purple one and showed it to them. "This is the Ten-Year Bazooka," he introduced. "The only one left,"

"Is that really it?" Basil asked.

Lampo asked, "To tell you the truth, our grandfather was the one who created the Ten-Year Bazooka," he revealed. "He wanted to see what his world would be like ten years later, and so, that drove him the desire of making one. He died with his desires fulfilled, and it was passed down our father, but it was mass-produced." He explained, "But there was an incident that made the family destroy all of it except for the original one, which is this one," he revealed. "And this belongs to Lambo,"

Lambo went to his brother and took the bazooka and shot himself, which worried Natsuki. The boy was covered in a puff of pink smoke. Then they heard a voice similar to Lampo, but at the same time, different.

"Yare, yare, Nii-chan do you have to call me at this time?" the smoke faded revealing a boy in a cow printed shirt and black blazer, white slacks and slippers. Gone was the afro and was replaced by curly hair, but his horns were still intact.

"You won't want to pass off the moment in meeting the future you for the first time by Natsuki, right?" he wondered.

The older Lambo looked at his back, "Ah, the Vongola," he greeted. "It's been a while since I'd seen you in that face. I always thought you were a giant," he said. Natsuki didn't know if he would take it as a compliment or an insult, but he had to ignore it though.

"So this is you of ten years…you look a lot like Lampo-san," Natsuki complimented.

The older Lambo smiled, "Yeah I guess so. But Nii-chan matured in the years that passed. So, tonight is the match of the younger me,"

Lampo nodded, "And you will be the key in winning. You better prepare because tonight, the younger you might summon you," he warned.

Lambo grunted, "Come on, I don't want to fight that umbrella man. I'd suggest not summoning me if the younger me could take it," he complained.

Lampo sighed at the immaturity of his brother. He should take not in raising him in a stricter manner if he would end up being a doting one. This would be bad for him and his sanity should he grow to be a weakling complainer. G. would never let him live it down, and so will Knuckle.

"Lambo, you're five in this time for goodness sake. How can he fight a man several times his age?"

"That's your problem," he spat back.

The green haired boy couldn't take it anymore. He took out his paper fan and hit him with it, "Don't be spoiled! How in the world did I raise you ten years from now?"

"You don't," he plainly replied. Lampo was taken aback, "The Vongola took me to Italy and spoiled me, in other words, the Vongola here spoiled me," he explained.

Natsuki somehow felt that he was to blame for the boy to grow spoiled. He could feel the silent glare of the older brother on him. "A-Anyway…is this why you want to show us what it does…?"

Lampo released his anger and went back to the topic at hand, "Yes. I feared that Lambo might not survive should he fight that guy," he explained, "And I swore to keep him alive," he added.

Lambo stretched his arms, "Well, time is almost up," he looked at Natsuki, "Don't summon me, and save Tsuna-nee," he said as he disappeared in a puff of smoke. The five year-old Lambo was back in this time, looking a little dazed, but had a doughnut on his hands.

"That was fun! I was at an amusement park with a girl that looks like I-pin!" Lambo exclaimed.

The others looked suspiciously at the cow, but dismissed the thought, "So, shall we go back up?" Lampo asked. All agreed. As they were at the door, Lampo forgot the purple bazooka, "Lambo, take the bazooka and place it in your afro like we talked about," he said as he went up with the others while Lambo just went back to the lab.

No one noticed that Lambo took the pink bazooka and slipped it in his afro and ran back to where his brother is.

…

Tsuna sighed as she looked at the window. It was undeniably rainy tonight, something that she had wondered if this was a force of nature or a force of man for making it rain and release thunder. Tonight, Lambo was fighting, but she knew that he always had Lampo to guide him in battle. But then, she couldn't help but feel that something will go terribly wrong at the match. The Varia already left, except for Xanxus, who was lazing around and Lussuria who was in the hospital ward.

She had visited him this morning, and true to Belphegor's word, he couldn't move an inch from body pain and the impact he took from the punch Ryohei sent him. Even the nurse who was feeding him admitted him to be a challenge when taking care of.

The screen on the television flashed to see a rainy Nami-Private North Wing rooftop, Kyouya's favorite place to take a nap, especially when she is being used as a lap pillow.

The new addition was the Electric Circuit. She could see the logic in the enlarge rods that once thunder strikes, electric charges will be on the ground, and it would be suicide on not to avoid it.

As they all watched, she was shocked to see Lambo playing on the rain with his yellow rain boots and no sign of Lampo anywhere. She figured that he had left him in Natsuki's care. But she knew her brother. He couldn't take a careful look at a kid for more than three minutes.

"This is going to be disastrous…" Tsuna predicted.

…

Lampo went back to his lab. The battle will start in a few minutes, and he had to be there. He cursed at the heavens forgetting that earlier, he had to submit a project in school. He skipped for the reason that his brother was really sick and he was the only relative present at the moment. But his Science teacher didn't let him slide, and he had to dump his brother in Natsuki's care while he rushed to the other side of Namimori to school and submit his work before the time deadline. Thankfully, he got through, but he had to get back to the house. He had some experiments to do.

The moment he stepped into his room's lab, he noticed something wrong, terribly wrong…

There on the table lies the purple bazooka, and the pink one was nowhere to be found. Lambo paled. "No…no, no, no!" he panicked as he grabbed the bazooka and went to his driver and went in the car. The driver didn't dare ask why the teenager was going to Nami-Private at this hour, but the look on his employer's face indicated that there was an emergency.

Stepping on it, he drove the car at full speed.

'_Dammit…of all the days for him to switch the bazookas…why now…? Tsuna is going to kill me!'_

…

Tsuna watched the match begin. She could swear that she was trembling on where she is right now. The moment the lightning struck, Levi jumped to evade it, but Lambo had just stayed on the ground, and had been electrocuted. Tsuna got worried for a second, but calmed down when logic came into her.

"Lambo!" Natsuki shouted with worry on his eyes. The boy had been fried!

The Cervello tried to check if he was still alive, but Levi said that he was already dead since he was burnt. He was proven wrong when Lambo sat up and began crying, saying that it hurt. He remembered the same kind of voltage his brother hit him earlier was the same as this. "It hurts Nii-chan!" he called out.

Reborn explained to Natsuki and the others that it was his Electrico Cuoio that made his internal organs unhurt by the electricity.

When Levi attacked, Lambo began to rummage through his hair and took out a pink bazooka. Tsuna's eyes widened at it. _That_ was not the Ten-Year Bazooka…

"Yes! There was _that _plan!" Gokudera shouted with glee. Tsuna paled and clenched her teeth; they didn't even notice a thing.

Natsuki stared at the boy incredulously, "What? But Adult Lambo told me not to call on him!"

"Stop Lambo!" Lampo came at that rooftop, carrying a purple bazooka. "Do not and I mean do _not_ use that!" Tsuna looked at the green haired boy on the screen, carrying the real bazooka. It was obvious that he had been running upstairs to catch up to replace the other bazooka, but she knew that it was too late…she will not like this.

All eyes looked at the green haired teen. "Lampo-san," Natsuki called out.

Lampo came rushing at the edge of the arena, "Lambo! That's not the Ten-Year Bazooka! That's my prototype Ten-Year _Parallel_ Bazooka!" he shouted.

Natsuki's family all wore shocked faces. "What?" Natsuki stammered.

Lampo looked at them, "It's a bazooka that I have been experimenting on for two years now! When Lambo came into my room to get the bazooka, he mistook it for the standard Ten-Year Bazooka," he answered as he held out the purple bazooka.

"Now that you mention it, the bazooka he is holding now is pink," Reborn said.

"This is not good…" Lampo muttered. "I should have gotten here before the match started…now I can't do anything about it," he cursed. "That bazooka is meant to summon a ten-year self from a parallel world for ten minutes!"

As they watched the match, Lambo already fired the bazooka that emitted a purple smoke. It faded and revealed a teen eating a dumpling cross legged. A napkin was tied on his neck, "I never thought pot-stickers were my last meal," he said as he ate it all. Standing up, he took the ring that was dropped on the ground, and took off the napkin on his neck.

Natsuki came near him, "I'm sorry if you were summoned again," he apologized.

Lambo turned and looked at him curiously, "Who are you?" he wondered.

Tsuna's heart almost stopped. "Don't tell me…" she muttered.

Natsuki was taken aback, "What?"

Lampo covered half of his face, "Not good, he ended up summoning a fifteen year-old Lambo from a parallel world…"

Lambo then looked at him, "And why is the First Thunder Guardian here at this time? I thought this was the ring battle for the Thunder Guardians?" he said. That got Tsuna and the others smart enough to speculate what he had just said.

"Idiot cow! This _is_ the Thunder match!" he reasoned.

Lambo then smiled, "Gokudera. Where's Vongola, and who's this brat?" he said pointing at Natsuki.

"He's the Tenth, idiot! Sawada Natsuki!" he shouted.

Lambo tilted his head, "Eh? Who the heck is he? Is he a relative of the Vongola?" All froze after hearing his declaration. He scratched his head, "I don't know what's going on, but I know that Sawada Tsunayoshi is the Vongola Decimo and the only son of Iemitsu-san over there," he said pointing at the orange clad man who looked the same as dumbfounded as everyone else did.

Tsuna knew who that person is. She has heard a lot about him from Byakuran already.

He sighed; "Yare, yare, since I don't have much time, I have to get on with this match…" he said as he took out his horns, "Thunder Set!" he then ran towards him, "Electrico Cornata!"

Levi then took out his umbrellas and set them around him, "I got you now. Levi Volta!" he shouted. It was then when electricity surged the umbrellas, attacking Lambo in the process. He screamed at the sudden pain.

"What's going on?" Yamamoto wondered.

Reborn lowered his head, "It must be that the voltage that he is used to exceeds the voltage that Levi shot him, added to that is the amount of lightning he gathered during Thunder Set…"

The lightning faded and Lambo slammed to the ground. The next thing they knew, Lambo ran towards the bazooka again, crying. Lampo sweat dropped, "As usual he is childish in any parallel world…"

"Hey, is it okay to call on the different Lambo of the other parallel worlds?" Gokudera asked.

"This time, the bazooka sent back the ten-year later self of the Lambo you saw. It picks different parallel worlds at every shot but the time limit is still ten minutes from the first shot…" he said.

The purple smoke faded again revealing a twenty-five year-old Lambo in a brown fur lined coat. "Yare, yare, it's been a long time since I was summoned but bad timing. First I was outside the birthing room for Vongola's second child, restraining Hibari from breaking apart the labor room door, and now I'm here…" He said. When he turned back, the same bewildered face greeted them, "Huh? Where's Vongola?"

Tsuna was taken aback, "Who's second child?"

Gokudera snapped, "I'll say this again! Sawada Natsuki is the Tenth!" he said pointing at Natsuki.

The twenty-five year old hummed, "I've never seen him in my life, and you know, coming from me, you had the nerve to serve another when Sawada Tsunayuki is the Vongola…and why is the First Thunder Guardian here?" then he thought of something. "Ah figures. Oh well, too much spoilers of the other world. Let's continue the fight, shall we?"

Tsuna wondered about the Tsunayuki girl, but she knew who that was as well. She couldn't do a thing but to watch the match unfold. Five minutes had already passed because of the bickering, and there was no time left. The twenty-five year-old Lambo had to do things fast.

Levi once again attacked him with his Levi Volta, and at the same time, thunder struck beneath them. The amount of electricity that hit Lambo was huge, and no one would expect him to live after this. Tsuna clutched the pillow she was holding as the light faded.

She was glad when she saw that Lambo was unharmed, and was shocked when he transferred the current to the ground while shouting Electrico Reverse. It was obvious that he had created the perfect Electrico Cuoio at that age. There was nothing to stop him. It was until then when he said, "Thunder Set," and red lightning came out of the sky to his horns.

It was a rare kind of lightning that is said to have several times the voltage of a normal thunderbolt. It was a dangerous thunder to go with, and no one would even dare to go against that kind of ability. He attacked again and used the Electrico Cornata that seemed to be more powerful than before, but all feared about the weakness of the attack. He could only use it if he is close to the opponent. But all stared when he made it a mid-ranged weapon and destroyed some of Levi's parabolas and attacked him.

He threatened Levi to stand back or he'll die, but then time seemed to move fast and the twenty-five year-old turned back into a five year-old. "Lambo!" Tsuna shouted even though the kid couldn't hear her, and she watched as the red lighting hurt Lambo, making him unconscious.

It was the moment to destroy Lambo. Levi had the chance, and he was not going to let it pass. He was about to give the finishing blow when Natsuki melted one of the rods, shocking everyone in the process. Tsuna knew that it would mean disqualification, but if he didn't do it, Lambo would be dead by now.

In just a split second, Xanxus came swooping in and attacked her brother. He landed on the top of the doorway with a sinister smile, the other half of the Sky Ring in his hands. "Trash, you just did something that I like," he said.

"HOW THE HELL DID HE GET THERE?" Tsuna shouted.

"W-What do you mean?" Natsuki demanded, trying to stand up after being attacked by the man.

The Cervello answered for him, "Because you have interfered in the match, you are hereby disqualified. The Sky and Thunder ring is now in the possession of the Varia,"

Tsuna seethed. If it weren't for the damned time limit, Lambo would have won, but she guessed it wasn't supposed to be.

Xanxus laughed maniacally, "You are such trashes," he insulted. "The other rings don't matter anymore, but since you amused me tonight, I will allow the matches to continue," he said. "But if you lose, Sawada Natsuki, you lose your sister." Natsuki glared at him, "She will experience the same torture as the Ninth!" he said.

That got Iemitsu and Reborn worried. Natsuki was too, but he was too worried for his sister that might have been suffering now. Tsuna glared at the television, "That buffoon…" she grumbled.

With this, the Cervello announced the next battle, "Then with this, we are to announce the next battle." They said, "Tomorrow night, the battle will be the holders of the Storm Ring!"

Gokudera could only glare at the crowned blond who was smiling sinisterly.

The screen flashed off after hearing the next match. It will be Gokudera against Belphegor—bombs against knives—it's obvious who will have the upper hand, but no one could guarantee who will win. Both weapons are powerful, but it will be up to the wielder if he would choose to lose or not.

**And that's it! I hope you guys liked it. I really enjoyed writing this part a lot, and I couldn't help myself not to update it. **

**REVIEW~!**

**Next Chapter: Surging Storm**

Shamal wove his hand to his hair, "Damn it you brat, what did I tell you about risking your life?" he said.

"Hayato, stop it! It won't do anything good if you die right here!" Yamamoto shouted. Reborn could feel his shoulders trembling in fear. At Yamamoto's voice, something painful hit the silver haired boy. He knew that kind of pain anywhere.

"Gokudera, if you die, do you have any idea who you are leaving behind?" Natsuki said. "We would lose a friend, G-san will lose a cousin, your grandparents are going to lose a grandchild, and I don't even want to get started with what Yamamoto would feel! If Nee-san was here, she would say the same thing! She once said to me, life is a precious thing. You will just have to live your life, and stand up when you fall, and help others to preserve theirs. That's what she—what we believed in when we save people from the brink of death!"

"Tenth…" Gokudera muttered. He remembered that belief when Tsuna saved him from the falling debris the first time they had met. When he asked why she saved him, she merely said that, _'Life is a precious thing, you will just have to live your life, and stand up when you fall, and help others to preserve theirs, and only an idiot would throw that away selfishly,'_

Tsuna gritted her teeth, "Damn it. Gokudera-kun, listen to him!" she shouted.

A few moments later, the turbines exploded. "Gokudera!" Natsuki shouted.

Yamamoto just stared at the smoke filled screen, face pale and eyes widening. "H-Hayato…"

G. cursed in Italian, "Dammit you suicidal brat…"


	20. Surging Storm

**I'm here again for the next chapter! I'm glad everyone liked my little glimpse of the future parallel worlds, but it was created on a whim and nothing else. I'm working on a new fic now, but I don't think I will end up publishing it just yet. Just until after I'm done with this. Creating Sentinella in the KHR world proved to be quite entertaining at most, and I've already begun some storylines concerning it in AU. **

**Oh well, things like that is something that can make me abandon unpublished things for no reason but boredom, but then, it can be enjoyable. Maybe I should put them for adoption…what do you guys think?**

**Now on to the chapter!**

**Chapter 20** **Surging Storm**

Natsuki and the others stayed on Lambo's hospital bed. The moment the match had ended, they didn't waste any time in sending him to the hospital because of multiple burns. Lampo has explained that the red lightning carried a lot of voltage than a normal one. Lampo knew of course because he has been using them for a while now.

Still, they were worried about him even though the doctors said that he would be just fine, but he kept thinking that thing that the fifteen year-old and twenty-five year-old Lambo said the moment they saw them, more specifically, Natsuki.

"Reborn…" Natsuki called, "Why did the two future Lambos say that…they don't know me?" he wondered.

Reborn faced his student, "It's a parallel world, and every parallel world is different," he explained.

Lampo spoke for him afterwards, "That bazooka is set to call forth a ten-year self from a parallel world. Maybe in that parallel world, either you were not chosen or…you didn't exist," he said bluntly.

"What?" Gokudera said, "Tenth doesn't exist? Then it's possible that the position went to Xanxus after all?"

"Nope, Lambo would have been dead by then," Lampo said. "He recognized you guys except for him and me. Lambo called me the First Thunder Guardian, which is weird. But for him to say that he doesn't know Natsuki gives out the fact that he never existed, but there were two people that they had named the Vongola Decimo." They were slowly getting it, "The fifteen year-old mentioned someone named Sawada Tsunayoshi and the twenty-five year-old said the name of Sawada Tsunayuki,"

Reborn was the first to get it. "The child of Iemitsu…"

"Tsunayoshi…" Gokudera slowly calculated, "Tsunayuki…Tsunarumi! Hime-sama!" he shouted in realization. "No matter how you think of it, Hime-sama's nickname is always there,"

Natsuki connected the dots, "That's it! Sawada Tsunayoshi and Tsunayuki…Sawada Tsunarumi, their nickname is Tsuna! It is Nee-chan in another world and his parallel boy self!" he concluded. Then it hit him, "Wait…if they didn't know who I am, and in one world she is Tsunayoshi and both of them are the Vongola Decimo…"

Iemitsu summarized, "Then Tsuna and Tsuna's male self is the Vongola Decimo, which means she has become the Vongola Decimo of those two parallel worlds,"

"It means that in those two worlds, Tsuna's parallel selves were the Vongola Decimo, should Natsuki have not existed," Reborn continued.

Everything dawned upon Natsuki. If Natsuki hadn't been born at all, there was every possibility that Tsuna was the destined Vongola Decimo of different kinds of parallel world. If he is the only one who had been the Decimo in this world, that means that most of the parallel worlds, the boy and girl versions of Tsuna are the ones that were destined to be the boss.

"So that means…in other worlds, Nee-san is more worthy than me…" Natsuki said. "So what am I here? A mistaken choice?" he said as his shoulders started shaking. "Am I chosen just because I'm the son? Well, I can understand because my flames are kind of weak…as weak as the Settimo,"

That remark somehow made Reborn pissed off. He was not going to raise this idiot to be the Decimo just so he could wallow himself in pity of his weak flames. Reborn grabbed Natsuki at his collar, "Don't think too lowly of yourself, Baka-Natsuki," Natsuki looked at Reborn in surprise, "You are the Decimo here. Tsuna and her other selves might be the ones who carries the title in other worlds, but in this world, it's you, period."

"But Reborn…"

Reborn was hearing none of this, "Think you idiot. Tsuna has known of the mafia for a long time, and it will be no question that she might have wanted the position herself. Did you ever stop and think that if she wanted the title, she would have announced herself wanting to be a third Candidate by now than let it go into this mess with Xanxus?" he demanded while looking at him in the eye.

"Now that I think about it…" Natsuki realized.

"Don't be an idiot. The choice was made by the Ninth, and Tsuna respects that. She already wanted you to take up the mantle of leadership in the Vongola. She believed that you could do it. Are you going to give up just because some Lambo from another parallel world said that the other Tsuna and her other male self was the Decimo in those worlds? If your answer is yes, then you are not the Natsuki that Tsuna had always believed in." he lectured as he let go of his collar.

Iemitsu thought it was time to drop the subject. It would do no good if they talk about it further, "That aside, I better get back to Italy to check if the Ninth is alright," he said. "If Xanxus is bluffing, I can easily confirm it there," he said.

Reborn nodded, "You do that Iemitsu, and be sure to contact Dino, wherever he is with Hibari. It would be better if he is kept in the dark about Tsuna's kidnapping until they return," he said.

"What is it about that boy that you are worried that when he finds out that Tsuna is in danger?" Iemitsu demanded, remembering the stuttering Dino made when he mentioned Kyouya's name and about keeping it from him.

Reborn looked at him, "No one told you?" he wondered.

"Of course he wouldn't know," Lampo suddenly spoke up, "Tsuna doesn't want him to know about her personal life, so it's only logical that he has no knowledge. And she prefers it that way," he explained, "But there is one thing you have to know. Kyouya was the main person responsible for the change in the girl that was once called Dame-Tsuna." He gave out. "If it weren't for him, she would still be plain old Dame-Tsuna, bullied every day and always alone," he then stood up from his seat next to Lambo, "Well, if you will excuse me, I need to finish some of the medical paperwork and call my Father about what happened tonight," he said and left the room.

To remove the tension, Shamal took Gokudera by his collar, "Come on Hayato, it's time for your final training," he said.

Gokudera glared at him while struggling, "At this hour?! Let me go old geezer!" but Shamal didn't listen. Yamamoto followed suit, saying that he has to be home by twelve in the evening.

…

Tsuna didn't know what to do to calm herself down. The moment she laid eyes on Levi that night, all she did was haul an expensive vase at him before he could even brandish the Thunder ring on his finger. "You bastard! How could you attempt to murder a five year-old!?" she said in rage.

Squalo was the one who stopped her from clawing Levi, even though he liked the idea. "I only did what I have to," he excused.

Tsuna cursed in Italian from A to Z at Levi, which shocked the others at her knowledge about it. "If I watch another murder attempt against them on purpose and not for the sole of winning, I swear I will _make_ you a _woman_!"

All of the men paled at her declaration, but Squalo was the first one to regain his wits.

"VOI! Stop your squirming! You can kill him right after the battles," Squalo promised just for the girl to calm down.

Thankfully for Levi, she calmed down as she stormed to her room/prison cell while murmuring about bastards and castration. They were currently at the infirmary of their place where Lussuria was still lying down for body pains. It was the only place that Tsuna had been allowed to go to, since she has enjoyed company with Lussuria. "You really did piss her off Levi. She's a little too sensitive when it comes to hurting children," he commented.

"Shishishi~ rest in peace after this Levi," Belphegor warned.

Levi grunted, "Don't you have some preparations to do for tomorrow night?" he demanded.

The blond placed his hands behind his neck, "A genius like me doesn't need too much preparation," he stated. "Besides, you were the one who pissed her off, so don't direct your anger to us. We almost lost a good asset's sanity," he said as he turned to leave the infirmary.

…

"What? Lambo almost won?" Dino shouted at Reborn at their video chat.

"Apparently even the Ten-Year Parallel Bazooka's time limit was not enough because of their bickering about the Vongola Decimo of their parallel worlds," Reborn said. "Lampo was right for not releasing it, but his mistake was letting Lambo take the Ten-Year bazooka himself while the other one was beside it. Of course in a hurry, the stupid cow must have not taken a second look at what he was taking," Reborn theorized.

"So what happens now? Because of what Natsuki did, will it affect what will happen to Tsunarumi-chan?" he wondered.

He didn't know that someone was eavesdropping on him. A certain head prefect was supposed to come in when he heard the name of his girlfriend. He decided to listen into the conversation.

"Fortunately, Natsuki amused Xanxus instead, so she is as good as safe. Though he warned that once we lose in the battles, there is a chance that he will kill Tsuna without hesitation…" Reborn replied.

Dino groaned, "Of all the things that Xanxus can use against Natsuki, why does he have to kidnap her?" he complained.

The moment those words were said; the door slid open revealing the prefect with his tonfas and a murderous glare. It shocked Dino and Reborn to say the least. The Cavallone Decimo can literally see his life flying away as the tonfas on his neck got pressed deeper. He could swear that the younger boy was restraining himself to press a button that lets out the spikes. "Explain. What. You. Said." Kyouya glared at him with such intensity that Dino was shivering on his spot and seeing his life floating away. "**EXPLAIN!**" Kyouya demanded again.

"ShegotkidnappedthedaytheRing battleswereannouncedsothatNa tsukiwon'tdoanythingduringthematchest omesswithhim!" Dino confessed in a single breath.

Reborn was still on the laptop screen, "Not to worry though, they wouldn't do anything bad to her unless they break their word in not hurting her if Natsuki does something Xanxus wouldn't like," he explained.

Kyouya looked at the baby, then at Dino. "We are going back to Namimori _first thing in the morning_," he stated, but it sounded like he was commanding him. He was filled with rage now, with being kept in the dark for days. And he knew how much the teen hated that kind of way. "I have her brother and cousin to bite to death…" he seethed. Dino cowered at the aura emitted by the prefect, craving for bloodbaths.

…

**The Next Day**

Gokudera sat in the workshop in his house, working on some new modifications for some of his bombs when G. came inside, fully dressed for school. "Hey, are you ready for tonight?" he asked.

"As soon as I get these done…the pervert Shamal had me up all night perfecting the technique and here I am restocking and modifying some of my dynamites…" he explained. G. noticed the multiple bandages on him, especially on his chest area down to his hips.

"A pretty intense training," Then G. decided to bring something up, "What is this about you deciding risking your life just in case things don't go the way they should?"

Gokudera stopped what he was doing, "Where did you hear that?" he wondered.

G. sat down on one of the tables, "I heard it straight from the source last night when you were training with your doctor trainer. You are willing to risk your life to serve that Natsuki brat, and to save Tsuna. You do realize what you will lose, right?"

"No," Gokudera replied. "Can I get back to my work now? I need to be done by tonight, and I skipped classes for this," he said as he took some gunpowder in a sack.

G. sighed, "Fine, but remember about the things that are important to you," he said as he left the workshop. "Suicidal…" he muttered as he closed the door.

As he walked to the halls, he sighed at the frown marks that kept adding up. He had been training his cousin for almost two weeks now, and he was showing progress. But his thoughts are another thing. He was suicidal and he would even place his life on the line if needed. That was something that G. had believed that he will learn through experience. Whatever that is, it has to happen before he gets the idea of risking his life for an idiotic reason.

After G. left, Gokudra's phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, it was Yamamoto. "What is it Takeshi?"

"Hayato…you called in sick today, what are you doing?" the boy wondered.

The silver haired teen grunted, "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm preparing for tonight, besides, I'm lazy to go to school today because Shamal kept me up all night for training. So I didn't bother going today," he explained.

Yamamoto laughed on the other line, "You have a point there…" his laugh faded, "But…be careful tonight Hayato…"

"Tch, who do you think I am Takeshi? I will win tonight, and I swear it," Gokudera declared.

"Don't push yourself too much then," Yamamoto advised.

…

Tsuna bit her lip as the match started. The moment Gokudera appeared, all of them almost had a heart attack in seeing him with bandages all over his chest down to his hips, and on his arms as well. Shamal had explained that things had gotten out of hand along their training, and he ended up becoming an incomplete mummy.

Before the match started, Belphegor had the audacity to pat his shoulder before the match that she guessed, will not be good since he might translate it as _'You will die by my hands'_ or somewhere near that line.

But there was an even more pressing matter on the view of Tsuna. What the hell is the Cervello thinking, placing some turbines that are set to self-destruct in fifteen minutes? With the destruction that will happen…

"Kyouya will kill them…"

Gokudera started off with attacking with smoke bombs, but the blond boy didn't do anything to dodge it. Instead, a band of knives came towards Gokudera, but he dodged it immediately. Belphegor emerged from the smoke unharmed and smirking. "I don't play like this you know," he said. "Who do you think you're up against?"

Tsuna gritted her teeth, "You mustn't act too overconfident and don't you even for a second think to hold back…" she muttered.

Gokudra cursed under his breath as he glared at the boy in front of him. This will spew trouble, he knew. But he had to do something before he does. Taking out multiple lit bombs, he threw it at him using his completed technique, "Triple Bomb!"

Gokudera expected him to dodge it, but he just smiled his annoying smile and stepped a foot back. In a few moments, the turbines were activated and the bombs were shoved out of the building creating a gaping hole. "Bet you didn't see that coming did you?"

Gokudera continued to glare at him. Then he felt the gust of strong wind coming from the other room just beside him. In order not to get blown away, he ducked. The doors broke and so did the windows, and all headed the same direction as the gusts. Shards of broken glasses littered the floor.

It was then when he stood up, he noticed that the boy had held something that glinted, but he didn't know what until he saw sharp objects heading his way at the corner of his eye. Dodging it, he went to another area where the turbine's gust came from and leaned on the wall. "The heck…was it a fluke?"

Tsuna lowered her head deep in thought, "That wouldn't be possible for Belphegor…"

"Flukes don't happen to princes," Belphegor said on the other entrance of the room he was in, "It's pretty easy you know. "I just follow the gusts and place the knife on the path that will reach my target," he said as he placed a knife on the gust and released it. It went along with the gust until it hit the wall where Gokudera's head was.

Gokudera glared harder, "Don't mess with me!" he shouted.

Belphegor continued his assaults and pinpoints where the silver haired teen was. Tsuna gritted her teeth, "He's cutting off his chances to counterattack…"

He knew that if he stayed there, he will be killed in mere seconds. Running off to another room while leaving a smoke bomb, he rushed to what seemed to be the science room. He fell to the wall for a quick rest, "I have to set some traps while he can't find me," he said taking out some dynamites. But to his shock, knives came attacking and sliced his dynamites from their wicks. "What the hell?"

"But the guy is at the hallway!" Natsuki shouted.

"Shishishi~ I can find you anywhere. I'm used to hide and seek and I'm not the same as you…" he released three more knives and it managed to hit Gokudera in the arm.

"Hayato!" Yamamoto shouted.

"Shishishi~ did I hit you already? It doesn't say much about your boss if his Storm Guardian is like this…"

Something ticked Gokudera off. He knew he couldn't shame Natsuki, and he can't lose like this easily. Tsuna almost wanted to haul something at the television, sbut he decided against it. Thinking, Gokudera wondered how the knives kept finding him wherever he went. His memory returned before the match begun.

"That's it!" he managed to mutter. Gokudera looked at his shoulder. He now knew the answer to his trick of the knives.

Confident of himself, he took out knives like a pack of cards, "For the finale of this surging attack, I'll make you into a cactus, full of needles…"he threw them to the surge. The knives were divided into two along the way, but all headed to the same direction.

"Gokudera!" Natsuki shouted.

Ryohei gritted his teeth, "Octopus head!"

The knives then arrived at their destination, and stabbed the target. Yamamoto paled, "No Hayato!"

Belphegor snickered, "Cactus: complete,"

The figure collapsed to the door and hit the ground, but all stared in shock when the knives only hit an anatomical model of the human body.

On the case of Yamamoto, he was relieved in seeing the model, knowing that Gokudera was spared of being turned into a cactus.

Natsuki freaked when the model moved. "Wah! It moved!"

"Idiot, look closely," Reborn said. "There's something around its neck."

All looked closely to find a wire around its head. It kept moving until it reached Gokudera, "This is the secret to your attack," he revealed, "Before the match, you patted my shoulder and at the same time placed a wire on it. You even numbed it so I wouldn't feel the weight,"

Tsuna smiled proudly. "That's it Gokudera-kun,"

"Then you threw your knives along the wire so the knives would fly right at me as if they were on a rail…"

Natsuki looked in amazement, "That's why the knives flew directly at him just like a monorail…"

Belphegor just smirked, "You did your best, but that's only worth fifty points. Just because you figured it out doesn't mean that you have the upper hand…but," Gokudera sensed the surge coming up again, "You can't do a thing about this wind," he smiled sinisterly, "What will you do now?" he tempted.

Gokudera scowled and took out a set of dynamites. Belphegor insisted that they would not work.

"Bombs? But with the surge…" Ryohei said.

Shamal smiled to himself, "I missed out on flirting s he'd learn how to make bombs that wouldn't hit,"

Gokudera glared as he threw his bombs in the surge. "Explode!"

Belphegor merely smirked, "An idiot with a big mouth…"

The silver haired teen's eyes sharpened, _'Now.'_ in just a split second, the bombs changed direction and smoke emerged from the bottom of the bombs, propelling them and went around the surge. Gokudera eyed the blond, "I can't miss and shame the Tenth…" he said.

The bombs went closer and closer to Belphegor until all exploded at him. The bombs created a great explosion that broke the windows of where he was.

Yamamoto smiled, "Hayato is great," he mused.

"A new technique of his?" Basil wondered.

Shamal smiled, "Rocket Bombs. This is the technique Hayato learned during training,"

"And the reason why he had that much bandage in a span of a night," G. said arriving behind them still in his uniform that consisted of a black blazer with white seams, and under it is a white polo and gold tie with the school crest. The slacks were pure white, and complimented by the sleek Italian black shoes.

"G-san," Natsuki said.

G. looked at his cousin on the screen, "Those bombs took a lot of logic to do, it changes direction in flight," he explained. "Ever since his training started, the one thing that Hayato lacked was speed, that's why he increased the mobility of the weapon itself. He's been working on that since this morning," he explained.

"You sure came late in watching your cousin fight," Shamal said.

G. grunted, "Unlike you who chases after women who doesn't want anything to do with you all day, I have a life and I had to rush here with my car from the other side of Namimori from school,"

They all looked back at the screen the moment they heard a sinister laugh. There was Belphegor injured and scratches were all over him, but he was laughing like a lunatic who escaped a mental facility. "Shishishi~ it's been a while since I've seen my royal blood spill~!"

Mammon smirked, "The Prince the Ripper has been awakened," he said.

Tsuna's eyes widened, "Belpegor is the perfect example of Varia quality…" she said, "He gets stronger the moment he is injured…"

She watched as Gokudera took out his bombs in an attempt to use his Rocket Bombs again, but Belphegor threw two knives that passed him, and suddenly, his bombs were sliced. He was in shock at this, and it even wounded his cheek. Needing to get somewhere where his knives wouldn't do more damage, he ran to the nearest room in the hallway. He entered the library. He noticed that there was another turbine in the library, but he paid no heed to it. He had to make a plan, and fast.

Belphegor went to the library with his lunatic side awakened, "You can't run away…" he said as he attacked him with his knives. Gokudera tried his best to avoid them all, while setting up something. He had to escape from the knives as much as possible. He was putting the training G. gave him to good use, which the red head smirked in satisfaction with his improved speed.

Belphegor kept hitting him with the knives, until the silver haired teen stopped abruptly.

"Why did he stop?" Yamamoto wondered.

Mammon answered it, "You can't see it with the screen, but if you look closely, you would see the band of wires all over him…"

Gokudera dropped his lighter. He was trapped in a myriad of wires. "Shishishi~ you're trapped," Belphegor appeared in front of the teen. "It's over,"

Gokudera only glared. "It's over for you that is," he said as he motioned him to look down. The place where the lighter fell was a place where he placed a trail of gunpowder that went somewhere. In a few seconds, the implanted bombs exploded, making the wires saggy. "Sagging wires wouldn't cut me," he said as he took out more bombs, "Die!" he threw them towards Belphegor using the wires that had been in front of him. He knew that the strings would eventually find their way back to the owner.

The bomb exploded and revealed an unconscious Belphegor on the ground. "Three minutes before the turbines explodes," the Cervello announced on one of the speakers attached in the room.

"You better get the rings Hayato," Shamal said over the speakers.

Gokudera grunted as he went to the unconscious body of Belphegor. He was a little to grossed out, but he reached out and took the ring, when suddenly, Belphegor suddenly awoke, looking murderous than before, and the two battled out on gaining the two halves of the rings.

"There is no way that I would give the ring up to a kid…" he said as he wrestled with Gokudera.

Natsuki was getting worried, "This is bad! The turbines are set to explode any moment!"

"In this case, it would be possible that the two of them would get blown up by it…" Reborn said.

G. clenched his fists, "Hayato! Leave the room and forfeit!"

"No way in hell! I'll die first than lose this match!" he swore.

Shamal wove his hand to his hair, "Damn it you brat, what did I tell you about risking your life?" he said.

"Hayato, stop it! It won't do anything good if you die right here!" Yamamoto shouted. Reborn could feel his shoulders trembling in fear. At Yamamoto's voice, something painful hit the silver haired boy. He knew that kind of pain anywhere.

"Gokudera, if you die, do you have any idea who you are leaving behind?" Natsuki said. "We would lose a friend, G-san will lose a cousin, your grandparents are going to lose a grandchild, and I don't even want to get started with what Yamamoto would feel! If Nee-san was here, she would say the same thing! She once said to me, life is a precious thing. You will just have to live your life, and stand up when you fall, and help others to preserve theirs. That's what she—what we believed in when we save people from the brink of death!"

"Tenth…" Gokudera muttered. He remembered that belief when Tsuna saved him from the falling debris the first time they had met. When he asked why she saved him, she merely said that, _'Life is a precious thing,_ _you will just have to live your life, and stand up when you fall, and help others to preserve theirs,__ and only an _idiot_ would throw that away selfishly,'_

Tsuna gritted her teeth, "Damn it. Gokudera-kun, listen to him!" she shouted.

A few moments later, the turbines exploded. "Gokudera!" Natsuki shouted.

Yamamoto just stared at the smoke filled screen, face pale and eyes widening. "H-Hayato…"

G. cursed in Italian, "Dammit you suicidal brat…"

Reborn looked in front of them, "Look,"

All eyes were in the smoking place and they heard footsteps. Gokudera appeared with several wounds that looked worse than in the screen earlier. Shamal noticed that the infrared sensors were now off, and all rushed to where the teen is. Gokudera collapsed to the ground, face first. Natsuki kneeled in front of him.

"Gokudera! Thank god you're alive!" he said.

"I'm sorry Tenth…I failed to win…" he apologized as he tried to sit down.

Natsuki shook his head, "It's fine, as long as you're safe." He comforted.

Gokudera stood up, but wavered a bit before he grabbed Yamamoto by his shirt, "You…it's all up to you now Takeshi. Don't mess up like I did,"

Yamamomto smiled, "You don't have to ask me," he assured. It was then when Gokudera wavered and fell unconscious. Ryohei caught him by the shoulder, "Hey, don't push yourself too much," Yamamoto advised, though he couldn't hear him.

G. smiled, "Hayato chose to live,"

"Yeah, he showed the most growth in training," Shamal agreed.

"Natsuki's words reached his mind of reason," Reborn added.

Tsuna smiled at her brother, "Way to go Natsuki…"

G. then stepped in and carried Gokudera bridal style, "I'll get him home so that he could be treated. Our grandparents are in a business trip today, so they wouldn't ask anything,"

Then the Cervello showed up. "The Storm ring is now in Belphegor's hand, and is now declared as the victor of this match."

Squalo snickered, "What a laughable match, your lives are now hanging by the hair," he insulted.

"The next match for tomorrow will be Rain," they announced.

The screen flashed black after that. Tsuna cursed, "The hell, what's with the cliffhanger!?" she complained.

**And that's it for this chapter! I won't be posting previews anymore since I'm a bit lazy on the side. It's my semestral break after all, and relaxing is something that I must do, and also reading fics on Kuroko no Basuke. I can't help but get addicted to the pairings they make for it.**

**So, what do you think? **

**REVIEW~!**


	21. Quick Break

**This will be just a filler chapter. I realized that I have been making them too long for my liking…but it had to be done. When I joined the rain match and this chapter together, it went on too long reaching over five thousand words, and I don't like that idea at all…**

**Now, enjoy!**

**Chapter 21 Quick Break**

"Yamamoto…" Natsuki murmured. He was all but worried about him being next, what with the long haired assassin beating him flat back when they first met at the Namimori Shopping District.

Squalo smiled sinisterly, "VOI! I can't wait to tear you to shreds!" he said with satisfaction.

Yamamoto just smiled, "I'm excited I can't even sleep…" he replied.

It was then when one of Levi's men came. "Excuse me," he called their attention. "Captain Levi, someone as snuck onto the school grounds! Our men are being defeated one member after another!" he said.

Levi's brow furrowed, "Get rid of that intruder before I lose face in front of the boss!" he commanded.

"YES!" the man said as he turned to leave, probably to take care of the problem.

"Who might that be?" Natsuki wondered.

Reborn knew who that was, "Well, they seemed to have arrived a bit late…" he said.

Natsuki was curious, "They? Who is it Reborn?"

"He came back from training with Dino of course," he answered.

Natsuki, Yamamoto, Ryohei and Basil looked at each other, "You mean…" before Natsuki could answer, a yelp was heard.

In just a split second, a black blur sped up towards them, and saw the man from before fall to the ground. Soft footsteps were heard in the direction that the man had been thrown off from, and the perpetrator showed himself.

"Hibari-san!" Natsuki looked at him in panic. Up until now, he still didn't know how to tell him that his sister had been kidnapped by the very people in front of them.

Kyouya glared at all of them, his tonfas ready on his hands. "Trespassing on school grounds, as well as destruction of school property…and neglecting what I have _specifically _said to watch over," he glared at Natsuki. The blond knew that he already knows about the kidnapping and he was not happy, "You are all jointly guilty, and I'm going to bite you all to death!"

Natsuki shivered as he silently bid farewell to his soul. He was mad for the Varia trespassing, the destruction of the school property that he had been taking over, and for not watching over his girlfriend while he was away that was supposed to be the task of her own twin brother who had vowed to himself he will never endanger. This was going to be the end of him. He just knew.

The Cervello were not wavered by Kyouya's glare, "Are you a Ring holder for Sawada's side?" one of them asked. "In that case, we can't have you…"

Before she could continue, Levi butted in, "How dare you attack my subordinates?!"

"We can't have Guardians fighting each other outside the matches,"

Levi didn't listen and pushed the pink woman, "Shut up Cervello!" he said as he took out two of his parabolas and attacked Kyouya. But the prefect merely stepped aside and tripped him as he attacked.

Kyouya glared down at him, "Shall I bite you to death first?"

"VOI! Who the hell are you?" Squalo demanded.

Reborn answered for him, "He's the Disciplinary Committee Head Chairman, Natsuki's Cloud Guardian, Hibari Kyouya," he introduced.

Mammon smiled, "If he's the Cloud, then that means he is Gola Mosca's opponent," the robot replied with steam coming out of two tubes attached to its face.

Squalo readied his sword, "You seemed to be strong. How many pieces should I cut you?" he threatened.

Kyouya glared at him, "Are you the ones who took Tsunarumi?" he demanded.

The Cervello had enough of the impending fight, "Please stop this. If participants fight outside of the matches, they will be disqualified,"

"We have to stop his rampage!" Natsuki panicked.

Yamamoto decided to step in, "Come on now, I can understand why you're upset. If my girl is kidnapped, I'd be mad as well," he stated.

"You're in my way," he said as he swung his tonfa, but Yamamoto used his quick footwork and grabbed his tonfa, "That long haired guy is my opponent, so will you mind?"

All of them were quite surprised by his movement. But Kyouya had become more pissed than ever. "I'll bite anyone who gets in my way to death!" he said as he turned to face him.

Yamamoto started to panic himself, "Not good, I made him worse!"

"Hibari-san, please stop!" Natsuki pleaded. "It's my fault that Nee-san got kidnapped, so don't take it out on anyone!"

Reborn now decided to step in, "Hibari, if you go on a rampage here, then we will lose the chance to save Tsuna early, and we couldn't guarantee her safety anymore,"

Mammon smirked, "So this is the boyfriend of our hostage," he muttered.

"I will only stop if you allow me to land some hits on Sawada Natsuki and Ieyatsu Giotto without interference for not watching over Tsunarumi," he negotiated.

"What?!" Natsuki panicked. He did not like this. And knowing Reborn…

"Only three hits each, will that be fine?" Reborn haggled. Natsuki looked at him in disbelief. He was actually allowing him to beat him up? Three hits from the prefect can already send you three feet near Death's door!

Kyouya lowered his tonfas, "Alright," he then looked at the Cervello, "Will you repair the damage done to the school?"

The Cervello nodded, "Yes. We will take full responsibility,"

"Fine then," he said as he turned to Yamamoto, "I'll leave Sawada Natsuki's punishment for tomorrow, but don't lose to him before it's my turn to fight, Yamamoto Takeshi,"

"Hibari-san…" Natsuki called.

He shivered when Kyouya sent him a death glare, "I will deal with you tomorrow after school. You and Ieyatsu Giotto both," he declared. He then looked at Reborn, "Has Nana-san any knowledge of this?"

"No. We are conjuring an illusion to make everyone think that she was never kidnapped. We already called Maman and told her that she would be staying at Giotto's place for a little while longer because of some Council work," he explained.

Kyouya asked nothing more and left the building silently. But Natsuki and the others noticed his grip on his tonfa tighten and loosen every two seconds. They knew he was suppressing his rage and saving it either when it is his turn to fight, or landing three hits on Giotto and Natsuki.

Natsuki pulled his hair, "I'm going to die tomorrow!" he panicked. He knew when he says the full name of the person, he was mad at the said person. He used to call Giotto Kaichou, but now that he said his full name, he can tell that he was furious with the both of them.

"Relax, it's only three strikes and you're done," Reborn explained. "That's how mad Hibari is for what had happened to Tsuna,"

Squalo took their attention, "So sword brat, I will be looking forward in slicing you to bits tomorrow," Yamamoto glared.

"If Squalo wins tomorrow, the Conflict will be over," Mammon informed.

They all turned to leave via the window, "Prepare yourselves!" Squalo said before disappearing with them.

Natsuki sighed in relief, "They left…"

G. looked at Natsuki, "Kyouya looked pissed as far as I can tell. You better prepare yourself for tomorrow on what he will do to you for not watching over Tsuna while he was gone,"

"But she was at Giotto-nii's place at that time! I didn't even know they invaded there until he called me!" the blond reasoned.

"Which is why he included Giotto's name in his death list," he explained. "Even if Reborn haggled it to three hits each, you will be sent to the infirmary after that anyways," he then looked at his unconscious cousin, "I better get him home. I'll tell him to meet you guys tomorrow at school," he said as he left with Shamal in tow.

A running bond then came into view, but not before stopping G. and the pervert doctor, "Has Kyouya left already?" he asked.

"Dino-san!" Natsuki called. "He just left," he informed.

"How did Hibari discover that Sawada-chan was kidnapped anyway?" Ryohei wondered.

"Dino didn't sense his presence when we were in a video chat to tell him what happened to Lambo's match. He openly mentioned about her getting kidnapped, and Hibari burst in and attacked Dino, demanding that they return here immediately," Reborn explained.

"I didn't know he was there in the first place!" he reasoned. Dino looked at Natsuki, "But then, I'm sorry if you're going to be beaten up tomorrow though…"

Natsuki waved his hand, "No it's okay. I knew it would happen to me and Giotto-nii sooner or later…" he dreaded that day. In other words, he wished that tomorrow would never come.

…

Tsuna smirked as she looked at Belphegor, "Now I know how they managed to bandage Tutankhamen thousands of years ago before they placed him in the sarcophagus," she joked. She had just finished relaying what she saw in the camera that Mammon implanted on Gola Mosca when they brought Belphegor there. In reality, she was delighted that he suffered some wounds, making her proud of Gokudera. He had managed to turn him into a mummy prince.

"Shut up," Belphegor said hoarsely. Tsuna could tell that he was annoyed by how he was being teased.

"Who will be fighting tomorrow?" she wondered.

Squalo looked up from his bandaging work to Tsuna, "That will be me against that sword brat who holds a sword like a baseball," he answered.

"Yamamoto," she corrected.

Lussuria then spoke, "You know, that kid reminds me of someone," he said. "Didn't we go here to challenge a woman who uses two irregular swords?"

Tsuna's head spun, "Two irregular swords? You've been here before?"

Lussuria slowly nodded as to not act up his body pains, "He went here after he heard of a skillful swordswoman and challenged her," he explained.

"VOI! She ended up dead by my hands anyway," Squalo added.

Tsuna looked at Squalo, "What was her name?"

"I think it was Mi-chan or something near that," Lussuria answered.

For some reason, Tsuna knew who that person is. Squalo will be screwed.

"Oh and another thing," Mammon said as he went to the nightstand of Lussuria's bed, "Your brother's Cloud Guardian showed up and humiliated Levi. He seemed to be hell bent on taking you back,"

"What? Kyouya arrived at the scene? I'm surprised he didn't kill the Cervello for allowing you to destroy school property,"

"They covered it to calm him down," Mammon replied.

Tsuna sighed, "That seemed to take care of the school. I don't know what will happen to my brother though," she said, worried about Natsuki and what Kyouya could possibly do to him.

…

The moment Natsuki arrived at the school, he dreaded his day. Kyouya was there on the gates, waiting for him with a terrifying death glare. He had not been able to sleep last night, since he was having nightmares of Kyouya skinning him alive. Who knew his mind could be that creative in nightmares. It was bad enough that it might come true.

"Sawada Natsuki," Kyouya called with his icy glare and voice. He turned to the back of the building, "Follow me,"

It took him two minutes to get there, and he stared in shock on what he saw. There, on the tree was Giotto tied upside down on one of the branches, his mouth gagged. He was wriggling like a worm. "Giotto-nii!" he shouted.

"He tried to run away from me the moment I barged into the office. Serves him right," Kyouya answered. "I already landed three hits on him for letting the Varia take Tsunarumi," he took out his tonfas, "And now your punishment is coming," he got ready to hit the blond twin with an intent to kill. No one loses his property and gets away with it.

Natsuki was shivering to his feet, faintly seeing his life fade away from him. but he had to take this. It was partly his fault that she got kidnapped after all.

…

Gokudera shot up his bed the moment his eyes opened. But the moment he did so, pain went across his body, and some of his small cuts opened. G. was there thankfully, and he ran to his cousin immediately, "Whoa slow down there, all your wounds will open if you struggle to move." He advised as he set down the tray of breakfast for his cousin just in case the silver haired teen gets up in time for the meal.

Gokudera grunted as he was helped by his cousin get back and lie down on the bed. For the first time since the battle with Belphegor, he felt comfortable on his soft bed and pillow. "How long have I been out?" he wondered.

G. sat down beside his bed, "A couple of hours. It's already eleven in the day, and I called the school that you had a little accident and couldn't come for a few days," he explained.

Gokudera looked at his cousin in his normal clothes, "What about your school?" he asked him, noticing that he should have been in his uniform attire.

G. smiled, "Well, I called to say I'm going to be absent to take care of you, since I don't trust the staff to keep your wounds under wraps no matter how loyal they are to our grandparents. They would tell them eventually and it will get the both of us in trouble," he informed.

Gokudera looked at his cousin. "By the way, are you guys trying to find where Hime-sama might be?" he asked.

G. was taken aback. They had specific orders not to tell Natsuki's guardians of the things that Tsuna had decided upon herself and the rest. Orders were orders. "Hayato, you know that we can't meddle with the affairs of the Vongola, especially when it concerns the choosing of successors," he stated.

"But Hime-sama is our _Regina della Sentinella_. Isn't it our task to locate our leader?" he reasoned.

The red head sighed, "Not this time Hayato," he answered solemnly. It appears that Natsuki and the CEDEF leader was hiding the fact that they had asked for the help of their organization with this. "We cannot reveal ourselves, and if we even dare to rescue Tsuna, it would mean exposing who we are. So far, Natsuki and the others knows that the only ones involved in the mafia and has knowledge of the fact are me, Daemon, Lampo and Giotto. No one could know or else we'll risk getting decommissioned at an early time." He explained. Gokudera became silent. Of course he knew it clearly! They are never to pry into the mafia family even if they wanted to unless their _Regina_ gives the order. "Besides," G. continued, "It's your job to rescue her right now, and all of us have faith in you guys that you would bring her back," he stated. "That is your final assignment,"

Gokudera then realized something, "And after that…we will officially become the guardians of the Tenth and our place in _Sentinella_ will only be as _Confidante_ in ranks…" he realized.

G. looked at his cousin, as if the silver haired teen was dreading that day, but he knew and everyone knew that if they become the official guardians, they will be ranked down only as a _Confidante_, or assets/informers on the outsides and insides of the family they are in should the need arises, but still, they will be part of the organization, only in the external parts.

"You know this would happen sooner or later Hayato. All of you, the moment you accepted to become one of Natsuki's guardians, means that you are ready to get out of your shells and become someone other than the shadows of _Sentinella_. It's bound to happen," he explained. Even though he knew the outcome of their loyalty to the Vongola Decimo candidate, he never pressed that matter to any of them, and the rest as well didn't, so that they could freely make their choices without their prying.

Giotto, G., Alaude, Daemon, Knuckle, Asari and Lampo were the very first ones that Tsuna had trusted after she was visited by a baby in black who had bandages on his face three years ago, saying that she has potential in becoming a Watcher, a gatherer of knowledge for the mafia world, and most especially, for Vindice. True Tsuna has had a knack of technology hacking skills, learning from Irie and trial and errors, and Tsuna always had the desire to know things that most people don't.

It wasn't everyday she was visited by a baby wearing a white pacifier around his neck. At first, Tsuna wanted to refuse, but when she has had a private talk with the baby, whose name was Bermuda, she had gradually agreed to succeed the retired former _Regina della Sentinella_. For the next three months that she has agreed to it, the former leader has told her the ropes and secrets of the organization that must only be revealed to the most loyal of the members. Tsuna had never wanted her cousin and friends to get involved in these matters, but all of them agreed that they will not leave their _Principessa_ alone to do some underground work. They will stick with each other, just like what they had done when they were barely six years old to protect her like she was still five and ignored. When the others had come along, well, that was a different story altogether.

"I know that…I just never thought I would feel this uneasy in realizing it, I thought I was prepared for it the moment I swore loyalty to the Tenth," Gokudera answered after a short silence. "But I never regretted my decision in serving the Tenth," he declared.

G. smiled at him and ruffled his hair, "Well, you better get some rest for tonight. Takeshi would be the one fighting and you wouldn't want to miss your boyfriend battle it out to the death," he half-joked as he left the door, but not before hearing his cousin curse at him. Oh how he loved teasing the teen.

…

Sasagawa Kyoko was just walking down the halls with his brother when they caught a glimpse of Natsuki and Giotto, both coming out of the infirmary, each having three bandages on either the nose, jaw and cheek. She could tell that one of them sported a bandage on the gut as well, but is hidden by their uniforms. She and Ryohei could tell that they had been beaten up by the younger Hibari. Ryohei had told Kyoko that Kyouya had arrived at the school right after the Storm match, and the first thing that registered in Kyoko's mind was that the Head Prefect would beat up both Natsuki and Giotto for not watching over her, which Ryohei confirmed, was right.

"Natsuki-kun, are you okay?" she asked worriedly. For some reason, Natsuki turned red all of a sudden, she wondered if he was sick or something and that wouldn't be good since he would be scheduled to fight in a few days.

Giotto and Ryohei noticed the blush on Natsuki's face, and Kyoko's oblivious face that was filled with worry over the blond younger Sawada. "Uh…yeah, I'm okay…" he replied timidly.

Giotto held his bandaged cheek, "Kyouya really gave us a hard time considering he only gave us three hits each, and each were more painful than the other…" he stated. "He really hits hard…that bastard…" he cursed.

"But it's my fault anyways Giotto-nii, and I'm sorry if you got into this mess as well," Natsuki apologized. Though he couldn't help but think if he was in the stand of the prefect, and he left his girlfriend under the roof of his cousin only to get abducted, he would be mad too, what more if the supposed brother of the girl hadn't done anything to save her? He could understand him fairly well…he guessed.

Kyoko went to touch the falling band-aid on Natsuki's cheek, "You better not touch your wounds or they'll get infected," she said as she placed it back gently, making the boy turn even redder.

Both Ryohei and Giotto snickered at the embarrassment of the blond and the obliviousness of the Sasagawa girl that he was blushing because of her. Other than be protective of his sister when it comes to getting close with boys, it was really okay with him if she was close to the twin of the older Sawada. He would even be happy to say that he should court his baby sister if he wanted to. But he was not going to voice that out just yet. Tsuna said to him that she will give the signal when to make those two together when the whole ordeal was over. That was before she got kidnapped though.

"I-I'm fine, r-r-really…I-It's nothing…" he sputtered. After Kyoko fixed the bandaged, he excused himself, "Uh…I have to get to class…" he said as he ran to his classroom. It was just the right moment when Fran ran into him.

The moment Fran laid eyes on him, his eyes widened in shock, "Whoa, who beat you up at this early hour?" he wondered. Natsuki was about to answer, but Fran continued when he raised his hand to signal him to not talk, "Don't answer, Hibari-san beat you up the moment he discovered _that_, didn't he?" he guessed.

Natsuki shrugged, "Let's just go," he said as he dragged him inside the classroom, but not before the apprentice greeted the three of them as they disappeared in the hallway.

Kyoko looked at the hallway where Natsuki and Fran disappeared to, "What is that all about? Is he sick or something? His face was getting redder,"

Giotto snickered, "He's not sick at all Kyoko," he answered.

"He's just EXTREMELY flustered," Ryohei added.

Kyoko looked at the two men, not getting what they had meant. Giotto turned to Kyoko, "Don't worry, Natsuki appreciates that you were concerned about him," he said.

Kyoko looked a little flustered, "Really?" she asked, "I always thought he is not good with girls. Tsuna-chan always said that he was always like that…"

Giotto and Ryohei both wore smiles. The gutless and the oblivious, "Yup, he's always like that when he is near girls besides Tsuna," he explained.

…

Yamamoto carried the Shigure Kintoki that his father had handed him earlier after hearing that he will fight that very night like a baseball bat. He had discovered from Dino that the long haired man, Superbi Squalo, had defeated numerous swordsmen with different kinds of fighting styles. He just hopes that what his father had taught him all about the Shigure Soen Ryu will be standing until the match ends. It was really not his style to question his father, but after hearing that tidbit from the Cavallone Boss who had been his schoolmate once upon a time, he really couldn't place it in his head that he had every chance of defeating the man.

Ugetsu came inside the Asari-gumi dojo, the special dojo that had been built just for the family, and only they had the twenty-four-seven access to. It was useful for the most part because it was more spacious than any dojo ever built. "Hey Takeshi," he greeted.

Yamamoto, who was lying down all the while, sat up when he saw his cousin come in the dojo. "Ugetsu-nii," he called. "What are you doing here?"

Ugetsu smiled at him, "Tonight is your fight, is it not?" the younger boy nodded, "Then I would like to accompany you," he said. "I had always wanted to see you fight with the Shigure Kintoki for real, and to see that last style~!"

Yamamoto smiled at his uncle's enthusiasm. "Yeah, I can't wait to use the style as well…but I guess your sword style is more unique since you use four irregular swords," he mused.

Ugetsu laughed, "That's thanks to Mio-neesama, she was the one who gave me the idea of using four, kind of like times two of her weapons," he explained, "But my sword style is haphazard, that's why I can't possibly teach you the style I use,"

Yamamoto laughed, "Dad would freak if he ever finds out that you are teaching me a different style anyways, but I'll stick with his style,"

…

When they all walked to the entrance of Nami-Private, all were worried at the baseball star on what will transpire in the battle.

"Is he sure that he will use the sword style that Yamamoto-san taught him, Ugetsu-san?" Natsuki wondered.

Ugetsu merely smiled at the worried faces of Natsuki and Basil. G. had said earlier that he will drive Gokudera to school should he get a little better, but seeing that he still had no calls, it was close to impossible. The last time he heard from G. was at their lunch break. G. had called in absent because he was taking care of his cousin who was injured severely after an _accident_. He had said that the moment the silver haired teen moved, some of his wounds opened slightly, and his body was in pain. "No worries. What Tsuyoshi-nii had said to Takeshi is the full truth, and don't you ever forget that," he advised.

The moment they arrived at the entrance of the school, a familiar shout was heard, "VOI!" Squalo appeared at the top of the entrance of the building, "I praise you for not running away, sword-brat," he said, "I'm going to slash you up like a sashimi,"

Yamamoto kept a straight face, "It won't end that way, Squalo," he said as he slashed the shinai, and suddenly, it turned into a katana. "I'm going to take you down with the Shigure Kintoki," he said as the sword glinted in the moonlight. Ugetsu could only smile at his nephew and his determination of using the sword style. But on the back of his mind, he could swear that he had seen that face once before.

Squalo eyed it with interest, "A transforming sword?"

"So you are really going to use the sword style?" Natsuki asked.

Yamamoto merely smiled, "If the old man said it was invincible, it must be," he reasoned.

Squalo scoffed, "I've killed hundreds of idiots who claimed that their sword was invincible!" he bragged.

Then something hit Ugetsu…he really has seen the man before…but if he tells Yamamoto, he might go on a rampage…

Squalo looked at Ugetsu, "Hm, hey brat, have I seen you before?" he wondered.

Ugetsu glared. Yamamoto looked at his uncle with questioning eyes, but they were interrupted by the Cervello who instructed them to go to the place where the battle will start. Squalo on the other hand, asked for assistance in locating where the place is found.

…

Tsuna was already waiting for the others to arrive at the arena. It was a miracle that Kyouya had not snapped after turning the building B into a tower of flowing water. But she guessed that he might have discussed it with the Cervello already that would make them responsible for the reconstruction of the things that they have broken overnight. She could see that Kyouya and Alaude were watching from the rooftop water tank to get away from crowds. Dino and his assistant Romario were already there, along with G. and a heavily bandaged Gokudera who was about to pick a fight with Belphegor for brandishing the whole Storm ring in his face while G. tried his best to restrain his cousin when Yamamoto and the rest arrived at the scene.

When they arrived at the location of the fight for the Rain guardians, all of them stood in disbelief on the way they had made a section of the building of the school look like an abandoned tower where water flows endlessly. It wasn't looking good when there was a steel door that serves as the only entrance of the very arena.

Before Yamamoto got in, Squalo showed himself up to them. "VOI! I'll be having fun in cutting you to pieces!" he declared.

Ugetsu glared at him, then he looked at his nephew, "Takeshi, listen, no matter what, do not lose your cool, okay?" he advised.

Yamamoto merely laughed, "Who do you think I am Ugetsu-jii?" he said.

Before entering, they all formed a circle. Natsuki watched with worry filled in his eyes as the steel door closed around him and Squalo and the Cervello announced the fight to begin.

Tsuna stayed quiet the whole time, thinking that she should just watch over Yamamoto and give him her silent support on the sidelines.

**And that's it for this chapter! It's a little rough…but then, it makes a little more sense. I don't think I got the part about Kyouya beating up Giotto and Natsuki right…I just didn't have the mind to edit the scene anymore since my semestral break began…**

**Oh well, I'll make it up to you guys sooner or later. **

**But for now…REVIEW~!**


	22. In Memory of Mother

**I LIVE! After about a week off from updating, I'm finally back! I've been sick for four days, and I can tell you, it was pure torture! I almost thought I got the Dengue fever, but thankfully I just got the flu. Now, I've kept you all waiting. It might be a bit short, but that's just how it is. **

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 22 In Memory of Mother**

"This is the arena where the Rain Match will be held. The arena's water will continue to rise as long as the battle keeps on, and at a certain level that the water has reached, we will release a ferocious beast. The water had been modified that of a seawater, and would make the beast more into terms with the water." The Cervello women explained.

Xanxus, who was sitting on his throne, smirked, "Get rid of that shark for me as a favor," he mumbled. Everyone knew that Squalo was the person that Xanxus was most annoyed with, but then, that's how the guy talks.

Dino gritted his teeth, "This is bad…Squalo has the advantage," he said. "He has been trained in different kinds of environment over the years…"

"You underestimate my nephew, Dino-san," Ugetsu said with pride in his voice, "Takeshi has been training under me and Tsuyoshi-nii since he was twelve, there is no need to panic about what environment he is in, considering that he might also have an advantage in this kind of setting," he stated.

Reborn looked at Ugetsu suspiciously, but he decided against thinking bad of the uncle of Natsuki's rain guardian, "You seem to have a lot of faith in him that he will win, Asari," he stated.

Ugetsu smiled at the baby, "Of course, he is my nephew after all…" he said, "And also, he has the drive of his mother,"

The moment the Cervello announced the battle to start, Squalo didn't waste any time and lunged at Yamamoto with his sword. Yamamoto dodged it only for the long haired man to release a volley of bombs from his sword. With his footwork, however, he dodged it easily than he had done back at the Shopping District. But he was playing fool at that time, but he didn't actually care.

When he turned to face the swordsman, he quickly disappeared. Not long after, he sensed him behind him. "If you think that you had seen all of my skills when we first fought, then you're wrong!" he shouted.

Yamamoto quickly used his shinai to block his attack. But as he did, Squalo released yet several bombs attached to his sword.

"Takeshi!" Gokudera shouted in worry. As the water receded from where the impact came from, all were surprised that he survived. "H-He actually used it!" Gokudera shouted.

Ugetsu smiled, "The Shigure Soen seventh defensive form, Shibuki Ame," he introduced.

Squal stepped on the ground and turned around, "What the hell?"

"Whoa! He dodged it!" Natsuki said in delight.

"It's still a little rough considering Tsuyoshi-nii only taught that to him a little over a week ago, but the progress he made is quite impressive," Ugetsu stated.

"He really did improve. This week, I knew Yamamoto was training without getting much sleep," Reborn said, "There's a huge difference between learning a style and using it in an actual battle."

"And it's a battle of life and death," G. said.

Reborn nodded, "If a man can suddenly fight without fear like this, he's either an idiot or a born hitman," he said.

Natsuki stared at him incredulously, "Don't say that!" he said.

Gokudera looked at Yamamoto at the screen, "I'd vote for the idiot part," he commented.

"Or," Ugetsu said, "He has the natural skill of a samurai. He has both bloods after all," he said. "My family and Tsuyoshi-nii's family came from a long line of samurai that had been protecting Emperors and Shoguns for a long time. It's no surprise that he has that kind of talent in the family," he commented.

Dino then became serious, "But he can't just rely on Shigure Soen Ryu alone," he said.

At that moment, Squalo cornered Yamamoto and just when Squalo was about to deal a damaging blow, but then he has used another form in a hurry, "Let's see…at a time like this…" he slashed his sword in the water and raising it up with it creating a wave, and did it repeatedly, creating a water barrier, performing the second defensive form, Sakamaku Ame.

As the fight went on, with Yamamoto performing the other forms, the moment he used Samidare, Squalo remembered something. It was then when Squalo spoke up, "VOI! Now I recognize that kind of style!" he said. "That's the Shigure Soen Ryu that I had defeated years ago!" he said. Yamamoto glared at him, both in disbelief and shock. How could he have defeated the sword style? "Yes, I defeated the master of that style along with his two students. Their master died by my hands!"

All looked at him in surprise. "He defeated Shigure Soen Ryu?" Basil said in disbelief.

"One more thing brat, why did you always use the back of your sword when you land a hit?" he demanded.

Yamamoto smiled, "That's because I'm fighting to beat you, not take your life," he explained.

Gokudera glared in disbelief, "That's too soft idiot!"

Squalo snapped, "Are you insulting me?!" he shouted. He then ran to slash him with his sword, "You don't seem to understand your situation! You're actions are like that woman Asari Mio!"

At the sound of the name of Yamamoto's mother, all eyes widened even Tsuna who was watching, especially Yamamoto. Tsuna stared in shock for the reason that he had let it out in the open, not even considering the resemblance of Yamamoto to the deceased swordswoman. Ugetsu gritted his teeth as he looked at the ground. Yamamoto dodged it and landed on one of the broken large debris, his glare showing, "How did you know my mother?" he demanded.

Squalo smirked, "So you _are_ her brat. I've seen the other brat that you called your uncle before. He witnessed the death of his sister by my hands!" he declared.

Reborn looked at Ugetsu whose eyes were unseen because of the shadow. "Asari, how did he know Yamamoto's mother?"

Ugetsu had no choice but to reveal it, "Mio-neesama was the famed swordswoman who uses two irregular swords. She was the pride of the Asari family because no one could ever defeat her in her level of skill. She defeated every man that challenged her and always won. When she is fighting, she always uses her maiden name. She fought gracefully, but she had never ever spilled unnecessary blood if she could help it…" he started. "Until the day that her name became widespread and reached the ears of a foreign swordsman…at that time, he has already defeated the master of the Shigure Soen Ryu, since it had happened when Takeshi was nine…I didn't know until now that Squalo was the one who killed Mio-neesama. She had said to him that if he wanted to defeat her, then killing her would not be the answer, and so they kept fighting…but…" he couldn't continue anymore. All knew how much the woman meant to Ugetsu and Yamamoto.

When they turned back to the screen, they could tell that Yamamoto was seeing red and his eyes were screaming murder. It was the first time that he has heard of his mother in years when it comes to fighting, excluding the times that his father and uncle tell him stories about her. "You…killed Mom…?" he said.

"I seem to have purged out the murder intent in you. Yes I did. She was too weak to take my life when she had the chance, so I killed her first. I know that eyes that you had. The fool's face was neutral when I killed her," he stated.

Ugetsu snapped, "Takeshi! Don't you for a second be eaten by rage! It will do you nothing! Mio-neesama would not be pleased to see you like this!" he pleaded. "Remember what we always said! Do not lose your control when in battle!"

That seemed to hit Yamamoto somewhere. He knew that he should pay attention to the match before him, his father and uncle had taught him the first time he ever sparred with the two of them. He must not let his mind linger someplace else, but on the case of his mother being killed by the very person in front of him, it was hard to get back his decision that he only wanted to defeat him, not kill him.

"But he was the one who killed Mom! How can I stay calm when I know her murderer is here in front of me!" he demanded.

Ugetsu was having none of it, "Takeshi! You are not like Squalo! You are an Asari and a Yamamoto! _We_ do not take unnecessary lives! It would not bring Mio-neesama back if you killed him. Did it ever occur to you why she wouldn't kill him in the first place?! Mio-neesama may have died, but she died with honor!"

That's when he realized something. He was not Squalo. He was the son of his parents, his parents who had not spilled blood and death in their hands, never dirtied the hands that held their swords for no reason at all.

"This chit-chat has gone far enough!" Squalo shouted.

Squalo charged at Yamamoto and did the same thing as Yamamoto at the same time that was supposedly Sakamaku Ame. That way, the first person to see the opponent wins. Squalo however, emerges as the first person to see the opponent and lands a strike on Yamamoto's shoulder.

"I told you before, I already know those forms!" he said. "I can see through your moves!"

Yamamoto stumbled to the ground, clutching his injured shoulder. But he had struggled to get up. Then he realized something, "Then, you know the eighth form?" he wondered.

Squalo scoffed, "Who do you think I am brat? Of course I know the Akisame," he revealed.

"What?" Yamamoto wondered. That's not it.

But it didn't stop Squalo. With the rising level of water, both went to the supposed second floor of the building. Preparing himself, he went towards Yamamoto who was about to use his eighth form, "Come on! Bring in the eighth form!" he said as he attacked him.

But to his shock, a different form was shown to him. He turned his sword back into a shinai, and drew it like it was coming out of its sheath, and suddenly, he slashed Squalo with the back of his sword, "Shinotsuku Ame…" he introduced.

Squalo dropped to the ground, "That's impossible!" he said.

Yamamoto smiled, "Actually, you might have defeated another master. Shinotsuku Ame was created by my father," he revealed.

"What? Yamamoto-san?" Natsuki said in surprise.

"Who knew a sushi chef was a samurai," Dino commented.

"There different forms created through every succession, which means change." Ugetsu explained. "Tsuyoshi-nii's master must have taught him the first seven forms, and then the successors alongside him are to create their own eighth form, and the ninth generation would also create their own ninth form. Its succession of the forms is different from one another," he informed. "The weak will die out while the stronger forms prevail,"

Squalo got back up to his feet, "You're better than I imagined you would be sword brat. But I've already seen through that, and it wouldn't work on me anymore!"

Yamamoto placed on his all knowing smile, "I knew this would happen," he then formed a stance like he was batting, "Time to give it a try, Shigure Soen Ryu, ninth form," he introduced.

Natsuki looked dumbfounded, "Ninth form?"

"Yamamoto intends to unleash his new form." Reborn informed.

"It is customary for the successor to create a new form once he learns all of the forms that had been introduced to him," Ugetsu explained.

Everyone watched a keen eye on Yamamoto. If the style was indeed undefeatable, it would have to prove itself to them right now.

Squalo looked at him. "What's with the messed up stance?" he insulted, "It looks like you are playing baseball," he said.

Yamamoto smiled, "Baseball is what I'm really good at," he knew that this one blow will end the match.

"Wait, but isn't it only used for the Shigure Soen forms?" Gokudera wondered.

"That's why Tsuyoshi-nii gave the Shigure Kintoki to him," Ugetsu said, "Takeshi has no right to succeed the style if he can't transform it into a sword. At least that's what he has always told me,"

Squalo became impatient, "Don't get too elated brat! Taste the power of my sword!" he said as he slashed through the water, making it look like it was being torn away.

Tsuna looked at the stance of the long haired man, "Scontro di Squalo…the technique that defeated the Sword Emperor…I'm actually seeing it…" her gaze turned to Yamamoto, "What will you do now, Yamamoto?"

"Here it goes," he said as he slashed his sword on the water creating a wave, but as he did so, he disappeared. They all saw him move to the other end of the water trail the moment he did his action, but that was not done yet.

Squalo saw him and slashed his sword repeatedly at Yamamoto, but he managed to back away and escape his assault by turning to another direction. "This is over!" he shouted, when suddenly, he felt his presence behind him, about to slash the man, but he declared that he had no blind spot and adjusted his mechanical hand so that it would be directed behind him should he stab. But the moment he did, all he hit was water. Before he could regain himself, Yamamoto appeared in front of him and hit him with the back of his sword. "Utsushi Ame,"

Squalo allowed himself to be brought down, knowing that he was already defeated. As he fell down, Yamamoto took the chance to take the other half of the ring.

Yamamoto smiled at the screen, "I won," he said holding up the ring for everyone to see.

Tsuna smiled proudly, "Well done,"

Ugetsu smiled at his nephew, "He managed to win…and avenged Mio-neesama,"

It was then when a warning signal occurred. The Cervello was heard through an intercom, "With the level of the water, the shark will now be released,"

Squalo had dropped on the other floor, merely lying on large cement debris. "What about Squalo?" he wondered.

"As the person who is defeated, his survival will no longer be our responsibility," they replied.

Shock reflected on Yamamoto's face, but Squalo just snickered, "So this is my end," he said, "Don't try to save me now brat. I have my pride. Just like Asari Mio. She believed on not killing anyone with the use of her blade, even if it kills her, and it did while keeping her pride intact." The boy's eyes sharpened, "I've seen those eyes of potential before, and let me tell you, it came from your mother," he stated. "If you ever live, ask Lussuria to give you a disk marked fifty-nine. He will know what to do…but do me a favor and don't die," he said as he allowed himself to be eaten by the shark.

Yamamoto had no choice but to get out of the place. The moment he got out, Gokudera hit him upside the head. "What was that for?"

"For being an idiot and showing bloodlust!" he plainly replied.

"Anyone would snap if you hear that about your Mom, right?" he reasoned.

Gokudera continued to glare, "I never had one,"

Ugetsu then approached his nephew, "I see you learned something important about Mio-neesama, Takeshi,"

Yamamoto gave him a small smile, "She died for what she believed in. Squalo killed her because he wanted to prove that he could defeat her style, but he never managed to learn more because he killed her…" he stated.

Ugetsu smiled, "And you are not that person, so don't ever think about revenge through death. You have already avenged her by defeating Squalo, and I know she must be proud of you right now," Yamamoto smiled back.

The Cervello then butted in, "With the victor of the Rain match declared, the next match for tomorrow will be…mist," she declared.

Xanxus looked at Natsuki, "I'm grateful that you got rid of that trash for me," he said before all of them left.

Natsuki glared. "That bastard, not even caring about his subordinates,"

"That's how the Varia is," Reborn said.

Tsuna's view was now done for the night. Turning off the television, she looked out the window, "Mio-san, you should be proud of Yamamoto…" she said with a smile.

…

Yamamoto looked back at the water-filled building. He couldn't help but feel bad for Squalo for getting eaten by his namesake, but then, that was what he had decided upon himself.

The moment Tsuyoshi saw his son with a couple of bandages and an eye patch because of a small cut from Squalo's sword, he had been worried, but he had been proud when he heard that Yamamoto won with his new Shigure Soen Ryu form.

But the joy was short-lived when Ugetsu informed that the man Yamamoto had fought with was the one who had caused the death of their beloved Mio. When asked what had become of him, they said that he would not be showing himself for a while.

Tsuyoshi didn't ask why he didn't kill the man, because that was how they move. They never sought death; they sought revenge by the means of defeating their own sword style.

"I'm proud of you Takeshi, and I know your mom is too," Tsuyoshi said with a smile.

"I would agree as well," Ugetsu seconded.

…

"So Squalo is really dead?" Tsuna wondered the moment Mammon had paid him a night visit and when she was with Lussuria after every battle.

"Well we didn't see him get eaten, but that's beside the point. The fact that he has never made it here in the past hour confirms our suspicions that he was really dead," he explained.

Tsuna knew that something was a little off. They didn't even mind if Squalo was dead, but then, they're the Varia. If they die, they die. That was it. "So the one who defeated Squalo was the son of the only woman he ever fought with that had potential," Lussuria said. "Pity she had to die due to blood loss. She almost won too," he commented.

"So Mio-san never died by his sword?" Tsuna wondered.

"Oh she died alright, but not in an instant. It actually took her until her last breath and blood before her body gave up in defeating Squalo just before she had unleashed her ultimate technique…we never saw it though. She was really a remarkable one, but Squalo doesn't want to admit it,"

This new knowledge proved that Squalo was not a bloodthirsty killer, and it showed that Yamamoto's mom had died with honor, and died fighting. "By the way, whose match is for tomorrow?"

"Mine of course," Mammon said. "Tomorrow the Mist match will begin, and I will all assure you that I will be the victor," he said, then looked at Tsuna, "Will my opponent be interesting?" he wondered.

Tsuna could only nod, "Expect the unexpected," was her sole reply.

**Now the Mist Match will be on the next chapter! I'll see if I can update as soon as I can before Monday comes, since it will be the resume of classes after All Saints Day and All Souls Day. I guess I can take it up for tomorrow; I'm just not sure…**

**REVIEW!**


	23. Son of the Apprentice

**Okay! So this is the next chapter! I figured I update this the day after I updated the rain match to make up for the days I originally intended the next chapter to be updated. This will explain why I chose Mukuro as the sole Mist guardian of Natsuki. I hope you wouldn't be a little mad about me adding an OC, since…well…**_**someone**_** has to adopt the illusionists that are related to the mafia and had to have connections with everything one way or another. **

**Chapter 23 Son of the Apprentice**

Mukuro's phone rang in the dead of the night. Groaning, he reached out at his bedside table and grabbed his phone. Looking at the caller and the time, he frowned as he answered it, "Sawada, it's eleven thirty in the evening. This better be worth my while," he said with tired eyes.

"Sorry about that Mukuro…but I need to tell you that you are next to fight," he informed.

Mukuro became wide awake the moment he heard that. "What happened to Yamamoto's fight?" he asked.

"He won, and Squalo got killed by a shark,"

"That's ironic considering the meaning of his name," Mukuro stated. "Why of all times did you choose now to call me?" he wondered.

"I just got home, so I only got to call you now. Sorry if I interrupted your sleep," he apologized.

Mukuro smiled, "It's alright Vongola. I'll see you tomorrow then," he said as he hung up. Sitting up, he looked at the moon for reassurance. "So it's finally time for me to make an appearance…" he said. The moment he had heard that the Varia had arrived in Japan, he made sure that he would not be seen by the Varia, for the prying eyes of their illusionist, Mammon, had some information on him up until the moment he was sent to Vindice. No one else knew that he was released though, for the safety of them, and for them not to know that _Sentinella_ has had a hand in doing this.

He will be facing one of the Arcobaleno. No matter how much he tries to hide his pacifier, being a baby alone was a dead giveaway. What kind of baby would fight in a dangerous battlefield the said baby was not an Arcobaleno? Only an idiot would think otherwise.

…

The next day, Mukuro called in sick, and this raised the suspicions of the teachers if the members of the Student Council were having cases of fever and some accidents, on the case of Yamamoto and Gokudera, because of their early organization of two events which they had finished just two weeks ago that made them tired in both the mind and body, and the first case of it was Tsuna. Even the prefect had been called in sick for a few days, which none of them almost never believed until Alaude had confirmed it.

Giotto was quite surprised when the principal had called him and told them to relax for a while, because they had done too much of their work already. To say the least, Giotto thought that he would get scolded for letting his members become sick, and the others having some accidents.

Just this morning, Yamamoto went to school with an eye patch, and thankfully, because of his uniform the slash on his shoulder wasn't seen. He had excused that he had a little accident at the doorframe almost hitting his eye because the wound had reached his eyebrows.

Giotto found Natsuki knocking on the office door, "Is there something wrong, Natsuki?" he wondered.

"Mukuro's not here?" he asked.

"Afraid not," Giotto answered.

"Fran was absent today too, and I couldn't help but think that…" Natsuki trailed off as he scratched the back of his neck nervously.

Ken looked at him as if he was stupid, "Mukuro-sama stayed at home today with Fran, Chrome and Daemon-sama to train for tonight. School is the least of their problems. Don't worry. Hime-sama's illusion is still in the classroom of hers. Daemon-sama has more energy reserved for that particular trick while at home." He assured.

…

"Shishou, how long do you plan on training today?" Fran wondered as he sat on the corner beside Chrome who was merely watching the fight.

Mukuro was sitting on the floor of the training room when he heard his student call him and complain. "As long as I need to, Fran," he replied.

The boy hummed, "So you really are quite eager to get Hime-sama back,"

"Kufufufu, that's what everyone feels about Hime. We can't just leave the one who freed me in the clutches of Xanxus, now can't we?"

"I suppose not," he slouched. "But I think I feel that Hime-sama is not telling us something,"

Chrome nodded, "I agree. Hime-sama is someone who hides things well, even from our backs..." she stated. "There's something about this that I'm not really getting..."

"What? The part that Shishou—despite trying to possess Natsuki—got chosen as his Mist guardian or the whole conflict itself?" Fran asked. He knew that Chrome had been one of Reborn's choices since he had seen the baby with Natsuki even when they have lunch together. It was not a hard task to notice that Chrome had quite a powerful mist flame reserve, on par with him and the blood brothers. But then, the baby chose someone with a smeared reputation and the deadly one at that. But the baby had asked Chrome first, which the girl declined, and went on to recommend her adoptive brother instead.

Mukuro shot him a glare, "And what do you mean by that, stupid student?" he demanded.

Fran looked at him with a deadpanned face, "It means that Natsuki might be out of his mind to agree to this, and Hime-sama must have hit her head when she had given her approval for your impending demotion,"

The boy huffed, "This doesn't concern our demotion. This concerns the fact that we need to accept this so that we could save her from the clutches of Xanxus,"

"I second it," Daemon said. "Now I do wonder what is happening with her right about now..."

…

Tsuna looked at the Varia laboratory and saw the maintenance care they are giving Gola Mosca. It had been hard to think that the power source of the humanoid was coming from a source that no one ever expected to think of. Spanner's father was a skilled military scientist and technician, but he was way too ahead of his time, just like his son. It was a machine for the mafia, and not for the military of the government. That much she knew.

She watched as they remodel the robot to widen the cockpit. She was not going to watch the battle today.

"Aren't you supposed to be anticipating the fight?" Mammon asked, appearing behind her.

"There is no way I could see the illusions you will conjure at the screen," she stated.

"The boss wants you to come along," he informed.

Tsuna spun her head, "What? Why?" she wondered.

"Since you can't watch it on camera, boss figured that it would be advantageous for you to watch it in person, since no one knew of you watching the match." He stated.

There was still something that irked Tsuna, "What if I suddenly escape?" she asked hypothetically.

Mammon saw this coming, "Your wrist will be chained that will be held by Gola Mosca. Should you try to escape, Gola Mosca will be programmed to come after you and kill you," he said plainly.

Tsuna smiled at the condition, "Who said I would escape knowing that I would endanger my brother, Mammon?" she asked.

"No one, Boss just wants them to know that you have been watching over them," he stated. "But he also said something about taking down their morale while we're at it,"

Tsuna raised a brow, "Please tell me this is not one of those, 'this is the last time you are ever going to see your precious _sorella_ alive,' things," she guessed.

Mammon smirked, "Pretty smart, but I have no knowledge on what the boss intends to do to you," he stated. "Come along. The female members of the Varia went into your house yesterday and got you your clothes,"

Tsuna was contemplating whether to go or not, but she did want to see the illusion battle of the Mist Arcobaleno and Mukuro. It would prove to be a real treat, at least, the last she will ever see before she hits the coffin. "Fine, I'll go," she said. Mammon smiled as he motioned her to follow him to prepare for the match.

…

Natsuki was fighting with himself not to shiver in this fight. He had been in the presence of not one, not two, not three, but five illusionist and two lackeys. Mukuro showed up with Ken, Chikusa, Daemon, Fran, Chrome and their adopted mother, Elizabeth, or as she was liked to call, Eliza.

Too much for his mind to handle, Reborn and Colonello had recognized the woman to be the former member of the Varia, and was once the candidate to be the Mist guardian of Xanxus, if she hadn't quit some years ago. She had found Daemon after two years. Eliza had one young niece under her sponsorship in France, named Elena, who was now Daemon's girlfriend.

"So you are all adopted by Eliza-san?" Natsuki asked, not quite believing what he was hearing.

"Nufufufu, do you want to see the adoption papers?" Daemon wondered. "We are adopted legally you know," he informed.

Eliza laughed, "Now, now, I just wanted to see what had happened to the others over the years. And from what you told me, Lussuria is injured, and I believe he is stuck in an infirmary, Belphegor turned into a mummy, and Squalo had been eaten by his namesake. Not a very good record of being a Varia member now, is it?" she mused.

"What do you think would be the potential of Mukuro's opponent, Mammon?" Reborn asked. He was perched on Eliza's shoulder comfortably. Eliza seemed not to mind, as if she was used to it.

"Mammon huh?" she mused. _'A name too cute for someone who had the name of a kind of snake,'_ she thought. "That sounds like a cute name," she said with a smile. It had been years since she had last heard that name in the mafia circle since she had left, and it made her feel a little nostalgic. She knew the risks of ever coming in contact with her former family, and the fact that she has also been involved in some of _Sentinella_'s proceedings as well as her adopted children.

Natsuki looked at her in shock. She acts like Reborn! "Cute? Even though he's a baby, that doesn't make the name cute!" he protested.

"Kufufufu, if Mother says it's cute, then it's cute," Mukuro interjected.

Chrome nodded, "I agree with Mukuro-sama,"

Gokudera scoffed, "Illusionists…" he grumbled.

Yamamoto laughed, "Maa, don't be too hostile." He said.

Fran walked with them with his emotionless face. Natsuki stared at the giant apple hat that he had been talking about. "Don't mind them. Chrome-nee is always agreeing with Shishou," he explained.

Natsuki didn't hear that since he was too preoccupied by the apple hat, "So that's the hat that Hibari-san banned," he said.

Speaking of the prefect, he had decided not to come to the mist match, knowing that it was a battle of illusions. He still hadn't forgotten the fact that when he was accidentally bitten by the Trident Mosquito carrying the Sakura-kura disease (courtesy of Gokudera's temporary guardian) three years ago, Mukuro tried to prank him by conjuring Sakura trees inside the Reception Room. He had passed out because of that incident, and Tsuna all but hung the illusionist upside down on the tree at the back of the school until the end of the classes as punishment, and whosoever frees him before she does, they will experience the same _without_ _clothing_. To say the least, Kyouya had come to hate illusions.

"Yup, and I love this hat…but because of that restriction that Hibari-san had given, I haggled it to me wearing a bonnet instead," he stated.

"I see," he said as they all entered the room.

The moment they did, they stared in awe at what they saw on the side of the Varia. There beside the Gola Mosca, was Tsuna, with her right wrist chained and held by the humanoid. She was not wearing the pajamas that she had worn when she got kidnapped. Instead, she was wearing a black hoodie and jean shorts, and black and purple sneakers. Natsuki had seen those clothing before, and knew that one of the Varia must have sneaked into the house of either Giotto or Nana, and had given her the clothes. Her hair was tied in a low braid, showing of her fringe that reached to the bridge of her nose. "Nee-san!"

Tsuna looked at his brother with worry, "Natsuki!" she called.

Reborn glared, "Why did you bring her here chained?" he demanded.

"Shishishi~ now don't get too mad. Didn't you know that she has been watching all of the matches inside her quarters the whole time?" Belphegor revealed.

Natsuki looked at his sister, wide eyed, "S-She was watching…?"

Levi continued, "Since she wouldn't be able to see the play of illusions on her screen, the boss made her watch it up-close, chained of course," he said pointing at Gola Mosca who was holding the other end of the chain.

The others couldn't believe what they were hearing. She was watching all along, and they had performed such actions that even she wouldn't like, especially on the case of Gokudera, Yamamoto and Natsuki.

Gokudera fumed, "She's not an animal! Let Hime-sama go!" he demanded.

Xanxus merely smirked, "Defeat us first. That was the condition," he said.

Tsuna looked at his brother pleadingly, "I'll be fine Natsuki. Don't let my presence distract you," she instructed.

Natsuki was about to curse at him when Mukuro held his shoulder, "Don't worry Vongola, I'll make sure to make this quick," he assured.

Eliza leaned down a bit and held her son's shoulder, "Go show them what I had taught you Mukuro," she encouraged.

Mukuro smiled, "Yes Mother,"

At the sight of the woman, Xanxus' eyes bore holes on her direction. "Elizabeth Spade," he recognized. "You little deserter,"

Eliza looked at him and smirked, "It's been a while since I've seen you actually _thawed_," she said insolently.

"Thawed?" Natsuki wondered under his breath. _'Then…did she know what happened with the Crib incident…?'_ the boy wondered. He has heard that Xanxus has had a hand in that incident, but every time he asks someone inside the family, they would be tight-lipped about it. The only interesting part he knew about it was that Xanxus had been frozen like a cave man from the Ice Age after that.

Mammon looked at her, "So my former little apprentice has gained her own limbs now, has she?" he mused.

"It's nice to meet you again, Mammon…or should I say, Viper-sama," she revealed.

Natsuki looked at Reborn's direction, "Reborn, what are they talking about?" he wondered.

"Nufufufu, Mother is the former apprentice of Mammon, and an acquaintance of Xanxus before a certain incident." Daemon replied.

Reborn nodded, "And for some reason, she decided to leave the mafia and her master to pursue a normal life," he explained. "But no one can deny that she had so much potential as an illusionist. It was a shock to all of us that she threw that away for normalcy,"

The Cervello thought that the introductions were enough, "Will both fighters please go to the center," they instructed. "The spectators please get inside the area of the infrared sensors,"

Mukuro was the one who stepped outside the sensors, and stared at Mammon, "Oya, a great opportunity in getting to fight the former master of Mother,"

Mammon looked at him, "You seem oddly familiar…" he murmured.

"There will be no other kind of arena for the match of the Mist guardians. This will be the battle of illusions, and whosoever acquires the half rings and put them together will be named the victor," they explained. "Battle start!"

Mammon then sighed, "Well I better use this right now," he said as he took off the chains on his pacifier. Reborn's and Colonello's pacifiers glowed yellow and blue. The two knew that he was the missing Arcobaleno, Viper. "I knew I've heard of you before," he said. "You are Rokudo Mukuro who murdered the entire Estraneo after their experimentation on you and you are the one who killed a man named Lancia's family and framed him to carry your name. You even went as far as seeking to possess Sawada Natsuki's body," he added. "Last I heard you were imprisoned in Vindice. I would wonder how you escaped," he wondered.

Mukuro merely smiled, "I see that your information is a little outdated," he replied. "Just for the record, I never escaped," he added.

Mammon said nothing more and the frog on his head cracked, revealing a frog-like snake and bit its tail, creating a circle. It enabled him to float in the air.

Tsuna looked at the illusionist baby, "So that was the real form of the frog on his head…" she muttered.

"You are a student of my former apprentice right? She is bound to tell you all of this," he said while his face turned into a vortex, and from that very vortex, he released a blizzard that completely froze the place. Mukuro on the other hand, just stood there, even though thick ice had crept up from his feet, freezing him from bottom to top, "Hm?" he mused until he was completely frozen, including his trident.

The Varia were not affected by this, having been used to different terrains, they could withstand the cold. Tsuna did too, and that got Reborn thinking what would be her reason for not getting affected.

"We're going to freeze to death!" Ryohei said.

"Not if we can help it," Fran said.

The place was nearly frozen, until Daemon, Chrome, Fran and Eliza snapped their fingers, and the faceless cube they were in negated the cold and the illusion.

"H-How?" Yamamoto wondered.

Fran explained, "It's an illusion barrier. It negates all kinds of illusion. The strength of the barrier depends on the ones who conjure it," he explained in a deadpanned tone.

"Humph, you fell into this kind of illusion that easily?" Mammon's face turned into a metal hammer, "What has Elizabeth been teaching you?" he said as went to slam himself to the ice.

Eliza smirked. "You underestimate me and my son," she muttered.

Before Mammon could reach Mukuro, he was immediately attacked by lotus flowers. "Mogu!" he shouted in shock. Eliza inwardly laughed when she heard the mannerism of her former master.

Mukuro immediately thawed. "Kufufufu, that's my mother who you are insulting,"

Mammon struggled at the lotus flowers, "What power…"

Belphegor shrugged, "Who is that guy anyway?"

"That's Natsuki's Mist guardian…" Tsuna answered. "Once, he has attempted to take over the body of Natsuki, and now, he is his Mist guardian, Rokudo Mukuro…"

Mukuro looked at Tsuna while he was advancing on Mammon, "Kufufufu, now Hime, what a quick way to summarize my fate," he said feigning hurt. "Now what are you going to do, Arcobaleno? You're going to be a pain if you plan to take your time," he taunted.

Mammon got irritated and his pacifier glowed, releasing him from the bonds of the flowers, "Don't get so elated!" he then multiplied himself.

"So weak hearted," he muttered as his red eye showed the kanji of six. He slashed his trident on the illusionary copies, and it turned out to be an illusion created by tissue papers.

Natsuki remembered that move when he first confronted him, "His eye! That's his combat skill, the Path of the Demon!"

Mammon continued to stare at Mukuro, "A magician that can use martial combat? That's blasphemy!"

Mukuro looked at him with interest as he snapped. Fantasma spun at an alarming rate, creating a yellowish halo on him, and the place started to warp. All were shaken at the distortion of the place, making Natsuki and the others fall on their backsides. Eliza looked at her children. "One up on the barrier!" she ordered.

The three complied, and their place began to show its natural flooring, but they could only protect the inside of the cube they are in.

"Viper is using all of his power," Colonello stated, being carried by his hawk, while holding onto a stretched Leone where Reborn was holding to so that they would get out of the distortion.

"That's probably his only choice," Reborn replied.

The Sun Arcobaleno looked at the direction of the Varia, and saw that they were barely affected by the distortion, but one could tell that they were allowing themselves to float.

Mukuro laughed, "How amusing," he turned serious, "However, if we are comparing our abilities, I won't lose. We are here to win and retrieve Hime-sama whether you like it or not," he then looked at Tsuna, "I'll say sorry in advanced Hime," he spun his trident again and slammed it on the ground, and out came cylindrical flames erupting all over, and lotus flowers were attached to it. Tsuna knew what he was aiming at.

"What?" Mammon looked in amazement.

It was then when the Varia felt a pained sensation, "What is this…?" Belphegor wondered.

"Are we dreaming?" Levi asked as they almost went to their knees.

By the order of Eliza, the three teens upgraded their barrier before the pain takes over them. After a few seconds, their pain went away.

Natsuki looked at Tsuna who was clutching her head in pain, "I think I'm going to be sick…" she had managed to mutter. It pained him to see his sister like that. It was the first time he had, and he wished that this would be the last.

The blond looked at Reborn and Colonello, "What was that?" he demanded.

"Illusionary poisoning is beginning, kora!" he replied.

"They are illusions that are put directly into the brain," he added.

Natsuki turned back to his sister who was clutching her head like it was splitting open. "What will happen to Nee-san?!" he demanded.

"We can't extend the barrier now Natsuki," Fran explained. "Hime-sama is a strong girl, she won't let her mind be poisoned," he assured.

Mammon avoided the attack as he went for Mukuro, "Where did you learn this ability to make powerful illusions?" he demanded.

"Kufufufu, in hell, and improved by Mother," he admitted.

"Don't mock me!" he said as he froze everything again in annoyance. "Eliza wouldn't have learned any of that from me!" he multiplied himself again and attacked Mukuro head on, but the boy merely spun his trident, eliminating all of the clones. "Got you!" Mukuro turned to his side to see the baby go to his side and extended the circumference of Fantasma. Mammon's whole being turned into a vortex, and wrapped Mukuro as fast as it could. Fantasma grew spikes around its body, and quickly closed into the captured Mukuro.

Natsuki and the others could only gasp.

"Mukuro!" Tsuna shouted with worry.

It took a while and everyone was silent, waiting for what will happen next, until the black cloak that was Mammon expanded as if something exploded inside, and his pacifier moved. "Impossible!" he said in disbelief, as something was forcing its way out of him.

A few seconds later, all were surprised when lotus flowers forced its way out, and shooed away the black cloak, and bloomed, showing Mukuro at the center of it, unharmed. He smirked, "Fall in wonder," he said as he showed the two halves of the Mist Ring.

"Impossible!" Levi said in disbelief.

"Mukuro won!" Basil said in shock.

Ryohei continued to stare, "It was completely one-sided!"

Tsuna smiled in amazement, "This is Mukuro…"

"I'm not done yet!" Mammon's voice said as he reformed himself. "I play around a little and you think you've gotten the upper hand. I have yet to begin showing my real power!"

It was then when he noticed his presence switch behind him, "Kuhahaha! You must realize, if you have an illusion countered by an illusion…" he then appeared again on one side, "It means you have given up control of your perception,"

Mammon was shocked when Fantasma suddenly wrapped him, choking his master. "Fantasma! Let me go!"

"Kufufufu, now, show me this real power of yours," he said as the distorted place tore itself apart. Mammon was struggling at the haywire familiar, and the warp broke, with Mammon falling first.

Mukuro laughed as if he was out of his mind, "How does it feel Arcobaleno? It's my world!" he said as he melted and forced its way into Mammon, and began to swell, his body threatening to explode any moment.

"No! Stop it!" Mammon shouted.

Mukuro's voice suddenly appeared out of nowhere, "You lost for one reason and one reason only," he said. "I, your former apprentice's son, was your opponent," he reasoned, "You should know better than to think that Mother was dependent on you in learning powerful illusions, and for everyone to think that she has thrown away the ambition of becoming a master illusionist and improving herself,"

Mammon's body couldn't take it any longer, and exploded into smithereens. The illusionary warp began to fade and restored its natural look. Mukuro gently descended and showed the whole Mist Ring.

It took a moment before the Cervello regained themselves. "The Vongola Ring of Mist is in the hands of Rokudo Mukuro, therefore Rokudo Mukuro is the victor." They declared.

Mukuro smiled and slipped on the ring, he then turned to the direction of Tsuna who was looking at him with proud eyes, "Only a few more days until you are rescued, Hime," he promised.

Natsuki noticed the smoke getting out of the opened window of the gym, "Hey, is that Mammon trying to escape?" he wondered.

Eliza scoffed, "Viper-sama is always like that. The little sore loser,"

Xanxus sneered, "Gola Mosca, punish Mammon when you get the chance after this," he ordered. The humanoid merely replied with steam coming out of two of its tubes.

"With the Mist match done, the battle for tomorrow will be Cloud," the Cervello announced.

"EXTREME! It's Hibari's turn!" Ryohei said.

They heard Xanxus scoff, "Listen closely, Sawada Natsuki," he said, "If you win the match for tomorrow, I'll give everything back to you, including your sister," he said.

Tsuna glared at Xanxus when he said that. Was the guy totally nuts? Her attention went to Natsuki, who glared at the man, "You're on! You better plan what to do with that piece of junk once Hibari-san is done with it!" he said, agreeing to the terms.

Xanxus merely laughed as he stood up, "We'll see about that tomorrow," he said as his hand glowed, engulfing all of the Varia and Tsuna. In just a split second, they disappeared.

"They're gone!" Natsuki shouted.

"Yey Shishou, you won against that frog baby," Fran praised with his usual expression.

"Nufufufu, a good fight, if I may say so myself," Daemon said.

Eliza smiled, "Well done Mukuro. I had always believed in you to defeat that no-good greedy master of mine," she said. "That greediness of his is the reason why I left the mafia world," she stated.

"Eh? I thought it was his high fees," Fran wondered.

Reborn turned to the woman, "Nevertheless Eliza, you raised your adopted kids properly in the field of illusions," he praised.

Eliza merely returned a smile, "Their potential is already there. It's my job to make them realize and improve them," she turned to Mukuro, "And Mukuro is one example of my hard work."

"Kufufufu, there's no need to praise me Mother," he said.

"I agree. Shishou gets cockier every time Mother praises him," Fran said. Mukuro glared, and Fran hid behind Natsuki for protection.

Then Natsuki remembered the boyfriend of his sister, "We have to tell Hibari-san that he will fight tomorrow, and the terms that comes with it…" he decided.

"Not we, _you,_" Reborn said.

"What? Why me? Why _only_ me? Do you realize that he might _kill_ me?!" he protested.

Reborn jumped to sit on the head of his student, "Nonsense. As long as Tsuna still cares for you, he won't kill you," he assured.

"Does that have to comfort me?"

"No,"

Natsuki wanted so bad to just die, but at the moment, he couldn't. He feared for his life while thinking of a good way to not get him on his rage mode, or else, there will be bloodshed.

**Now that the Mist match is finally done, it's time for the battle of the Cloud Guardians! The fic is heading to its climax! (and the end, if the number of my unpublished chapters are as I thought they are)**

**I can't wait to publish them, but then, I have to at least give you guys some suspense by leaving it for a few days, right? **

**Well then, REVIEW!**


	24. A Destroyed Match

**Now it's time for the final match! I was supposed to update this yesterday, but I just started my OJT and I was dead tired from the trip home, and pestering moms won the fight of me staying up a little late than I originally planned to…**

**Oh well, this will bring it to the climax! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 24 A Destroyed Match**

"_What_ was that Sawada?" Kyouya demanded from his seat in the Reception Room. He was looking at the files that had needed his main attention in the time that he had been away from Namimori.

Natsuki was in front of him, explaining the terms that will be done based on the outcome of the match. "Um…he said that if you win, he will release Nee-san and give us the other rings," he stated.

Kyouya glared for a while in his direction, "And what will happen if I lose?" he asked sternly.

Natsuki was taken aback by the question, but he knew that he had to ask one way or another, "The opposite…" he merely replied.

Kyouya sighed at the nervous boy in front of him. Was Tsunarumi serious about him taking her place as the Vongola Decimo candidate? The moment he met him, he classified Sawada Natsuki as a clumsy herbivore with Sister Complex. But he could tell that he has a rare flare that he has seen in Tsuna the moment he first met her four years ago. Heck, he didn't even know that his older twin knew of the girl until a week later after they had met. "Leave the room," he ordered.

Natsuki looked at him stupefied, "W-What?"

Kyouya glared at him, "I said leave. _Now_ Sawada Natsuki, before I bite you to death," Natsuki didn't need to be told twice and he hurried out of the Reception Room. It was not the time to test his patience on him right now. The Head Prefect sighed as he looked at the window behind his desk. He looked at the cloud covered sky in the early afternoon, blue and calm. He remembered perfectly well that he had met Tsuna with the same sky as the one he is seeing now.

Speaking of her, the moment he had discovered that she was kidnapped, he had never been worried as hell for all his life. Tsuna had been the most important person there is for him, and losing her was unthinkable. He remembered when he got home; he nearly punched Alaude in the face for not watching over her, and not even trying as a _Sentinella_ agent to rescue her. But the moment Alaude had explained that her kidnapping is an issue inside a mafia family that she was related to, he understood that they had no right to invade even if the one involved is a member of them, let alone the _Regina della Sentinella_. This frustrated him more. He regretted the fact that he allowed himself to be brought away by that Bucking Horse Cavallone to different terrains to train. Now, it looked like the biggest mistake that he had ever done in his life, and he is blaming the damn horse boss for this.

But tonight, he has the chance to make everything right again, and it was his task to win and retrieve Tsuna no matter what the cost. Giotto and the others would be terribly useless since they can't interfere in internal feuds, and her twin will be whisked away by the baby Arcobaleno to train some more after classes. He had to do this all alone. He will not trust the idiots that had been here to get Tsuna back, for they were the ones who had allowed the Varia to abduct Tsuna in the first place.

"Tsunarumi…" he murmured, "After this, I'm biting _everyone_ to death…" he swore.

…

After classes, Natsuki took it to himself to visit Lambo and how he was doing. He was walking along the halls when he heard Dino's voice. "What? He really said that last night?" he asked.

"Yeah," he heard Reborn reply, "If Xanxus is that confident, it means that he is certain that Mosca will win the Cloud Match…" he stated.

Natsuki couldn't help but think of the worst case scenario should Kyouya lose…

"Get your ass in here Baka," Reborn shouted.

Natsuki knew it was directed at him. Straightening himself up, he opened the door to reveal Reborn and Dino at the side of Lambo's bed, and on the couches were Yamamoto, Ryohei and Gokudera, sitting as they listened to the two converses. Lampo was nowhere to be found at the moment, making up for the lost time in school on the days that he had to watch over Lambo for a while.

"Tenth!" Gokudera greeted.

"You're finally here," Yamamoto said with a smile.

Natsuki turned to Dino, "Um…Dino-san…about Hibari-san…" he began.

Dino laughed, cutting him off, "I know what you want to learn," he said. "I bet you're worried," he guessed.

Natsuki stared at the ground, "I know that he's strong, but…"

"Either you were worried or bored," he continued. He pointed at the three on the couch, "These three came to ask me about him as well,"

"We're not worried!" Gokudera denied, "We're just here to make sure that he wins to get Hime-sama back!" he protested.

Yamamoto laughed, "Maa, there's no need to get irritated about it,"

Dino chuckled, "This is all I can say, Natsuki," he started, "Kyouya is perfect. He's so strong that even his tutor has nothing left to say to him. Besides, there's no way in hell that he would lose when Tsunarumi-chan's life is on the line," he explained.

The boy laughed, "That's true…" Natsuki knew that his sister was very important for the prefect, and he would be damned if he would let her die in the hands of assassins.

"That's why you need to train," Reborn interjected, "We're going to complete the Zero Point Breakthrough that you are yet to do,"

Natsuki stared at his tutor, "What are you saying? Tonight's battle is going to decide everything! Is there any reason for me to train?" he demanded. The Cloud battle is the last one tonight, and it would do nothing if he kept on training.

Reborn knew to answer that, "It's _because_ this is the last match. Let them do all the cheering,"

"Why?" he asked again.

"What are you going to do if the worst happens?" he asked.

"The…worst…?"

"I had a call from Iemitsu hours ago, saying that they had already started to watch over the Vongola Headquarters, and as of now, they are probably infiltrating it. Everything in the place is all too suspicious for Iemitsu's liking. So until we hear some news, you need to train more. Besides, it could be beneficial to you,"

…

Xanxus looked at Gola Mosca being taken care of by the maintenance team. It had taken them a single night, but it was clearly worth it. His plans were coming into place. He had lured the CEDEF leader to Italy, and he had the weapon he has. Not to mention, he has the back of the _Sentinella_. He couldn't wait to see the faces of the trashes of Sawada Natsuki see what he has in store for them. It was going to be one eventful night.

A mechanic came to him, "Boss, the modifications are done," he said.

Xanxus looked at the mechanic, "Is the device I told you to prepare ready?"

"Yes. We will start once you give the order," he stated.

"Where's Sawada's sister?"

"She's currently going to _his_ quarters," he informed.

Xanxus shrugged. He knows where the girl was going. Better do it now before everything starts. "Prepare in thirty minutes,"

The mechanic nodded and bowed, "As you wish,"

…

Tsuna walked by the private infirmary room across the hall. Even though it warned her not to enter, she still did. It was her last day as a hostage at the base of the Varia, and she had one last thing to do. Opening the door, it revealed medical machines attached to a single person on the hospital bed.

A lone old man with white hair, in a white attire looked peacefully asleep as if he was having a nice dream. Waking closer to the man, she noticed that the man was at least in his eighties and nineties, and the years had been good to him. He had those smile lines that said that he had smiled all the time, but wrinkles showed in his forehead saying that he was also prone to stress. The one that supported that theory was his eye bags indicating sleepless nights.

The man suddenly opened his eyes slowly, showing brown orbs that smiled kindly at her. "Well hello young one…" he greeted.

Tsuna looked at the old man. He seemed too nice to be a mafia boss, but she knew that he had the kind of charm that would make everyone risk their life for him, and she feels that she would be one of them. "Have you had a nice dream, Vongola Nono?" she wondered.

The man chuckled weakly, "A dreamless sleep, I must say honestly," he replied. He then looked at Tsuna's features. Caramel eyes, brown hair, slightly spiky, and a gentle smile on her face, that shows concern and respect for him. "If I may say, you remind me of someone that I treated as a grandson," he mentioned.

Tsuna knew who it was. "If you remind me of my twin, Natsuki, Nono, then I guess that you might be slightly correct on the slight resemblance between us," she replied.

The old man looked at her closely, and in surprise, "Well now, you were but a mere child when I had last seen you in your home in Namimori," he said. "But from the looks of it, maybe I really am in Namimori right now,"

"You are correct with your assumptions. Right now, the Ring Conflict is in its peak, with the Cloud match beginning tonight," Tsuna informed.

The old man smiled, "Then they will have to reload me then," he muttered. "I'm surprised they allowed me to get out of that every now and then to recuperate…"

Tsuna then went for the kill, "Why have you sacrificed yourself to be the battery of the humanoid, if you don't mind me asking, Nono,"

The old man's features turned a bit sad. "He is my son, dear girl. That is enough reason for me to go with the flow of this whole ordeal, and it was because of my weakness that my son has awakened from his long slumber…"

"Even if it means you die and my brother being framed for it?" Tsuna continued to ask. She was the interrogator now. "As much as I know, there is something that you are hiding about your so-called son,"

Nono smiled sadly, "I know for a fact that he would make it through…I have been framed more than once in my life to prove it. He will be the Decimo, and I will be proud if he reached a difficult milestone in his life. As for my son and the things cloaked within, I believe all of this is my fault entirely for keeping him in the dark for years," he reasoned. He then looked at Tsuna, "Now tell me, why are you here in the base of the Varia?" he asked.

Tsuna looked at the man in front of her and smiled, "I'm here to replace you,"

The man's eyes widened, contemplating on what the girl had meant of _replacing him_.

Tsuna smiled at him, "I know the entire truth, and _Regina della Sentinella_ knows how to deal with it,"

It was then when the mechanic had entered the room. Both looked at him and a mist covered him in an instant, revealing a mass of pale bluish purple hair and a smirk on his face, "The preparations are done, Hime," he said.

Tsuna smiled, "Thank you Daemon,"

…

Giotto came inside the _Sentinella_ base where Irie is now typing away some codes. "Did you send that letter to the Cervello?" he asked.

Irie looked at him, "I already sent it last night after the Mist battle. They must have gotten the letter thirty minutes after that,"

Giotto nodded in approval. Tonight was the last night they were ever going to get _Sentinella_ in the shadows in the conflicts of the Vongola. It would be the day when everything will be spilled, be it devastating or wonderful. In his hands was the letter of a certain don that is now in danger of being drained the life out of. It had been sent a few months before, right before Natsuki was scheduled to go back to Japan for his own protection.

_To Regina della Sentinella,_

_I am Don Timoteo of the Vongola Family, and as you may have heard, there has been rumors going about who will be the one to succeed me as the Vongola boss. My three sons had already died, as you may have been informed, and my fourth son is yet to be confirmed of his eligibility for the position, as his whereabouts are still unknown at the moment. My publicly named heir, a fourteen year-old boy named Sawada Natsuki, is now being observed if he is eligible for the title himself. _

_But that is where my troubles start. _

_My son, Xanxus, is yet to make an appearance to the family, and I expect that he will do everything in his power to eliminate competition, that is, in other words, eliminate Sawada Natsuki, who is the direct descendant of the Vongola Primo himself, the man who had founded the family. I fear that should I keep my hands on this, people will think of me as a biased man in more ways than one. And I fear for the life of the young boy and his older twin sister, who are the twin children of CEDEF's leader. _

_I might expect my son Xanxus to make his move by eliminating me first, and with the technology that the Varia has purchased in secret, they might use me for something concerning it, I just do not know what and why. _

_Right now, you must expect me to be a weak boss for not fixing this matter myself, but to tell you the truth, dear Regina, I am at a dead end in making this decision myself. There are things that needed to be shed light upon, one which I could tell you right now, and I know this fact will break the very being of one of the two young men fighting for the title. I know this might be a bit too much, but you are my last hope. _

_As I am growing old, I fear that my choices are a bit too old-fashioned and might not work the way I will expect it. I have heard of you, the Twentieth Regina della Sentinella, to be able to think of plans out of the box, and I have full confidence that you may be able to help me on this matter. _

_I could only hope that you would agree to assist me on this before I tell you all that I know concerning this issue._

_Yours truly,_

_Timoteo_

_Vongola Nono_

No matter how many times Giotto read the contents of the short letter of the Ninth, it was a wonder that he would trust their organization to help them with their problem. He could still remember what happened the day Tsuna read the letter. In no time at all, Tsuna had written back to the Vongola Nono, knowing that it was her time to strike and put an end to this stupid succession dilemma of the Vongola that she was deprived of taking part of.

But then a few weeks later, a letter from the Varia by Xanxus showed up at the mail, requesting for the help of the organization in helping the eligible heir of the Vongola take what's rightfully his. If it weren't for Giotto who read the contents to her out loud instead of giving it to her, the letter would have been in cinders already, but it also helped with her formulating the most outrageous and dangerous plan (concerning her own safety, might he add) that she defended would absolutely be full-proof.

Sitting at the desk, he saw the copy letter that had been mailed to the Varia a month ago. Picking it up, he took it out of the envelope and read its contents in the handwriting of Tsuna in Italian.

_To the Varia Boss Xanxus,_

_We are writing to you to say that we are accepting the request of knowing and choosing the formidable Vongola Decimo for the family, whether it is between you or the boy, Sawada Natsuki. We have been watching the events of the family ever since the 'Crib' incident and we know of the fate that had befallen you and the rest of the family, and the Varia as well. _

_However, this will not guarantee that you would become the Vongola Decimo, because of the secrets hidden within you that only the Ninth could confirm. You may know it, but we know that you only know a few of the true details, that, including us. _

_But we are taking our step to know which of the two of you could be the formidable boss one day. I will give you one task that you must not question on any circumstance, and not tell the subordinates. This will only be something between us._

_Take the twin sister of Sawada Natsuki, bearing the name of Sawada Tsunarumi. Do not by any means, torture her, but watch over her, and let her watch the battles that will be held with the Cervello being the referee of the matches. They are women who are fair in judgment, and do not cross them if necessary. She will be an important part of your secret weapon, but I would explain further once she is acquired by you._

_With the abduction of the sister, we will move on from there. My agents will be dispatched in a matter of days in Namimori, and when the time comes that the half rings are distributed to the two of you, it would be up to you to do the rest of what you wish to do._

_We will be watching, and working in the shadows. Do not even try to find the agents, and do what you are told._

_We would be looking forward on how things will be going._

_Sincerely,_

_Regina della Sentinella_

Giotto folded the letter back to its envelope and sighed. If his cousin was this insane to ask for her own abduction, then it would not be long before they are exposed. But then, this would be a family secret only…but even Tsuna doesn't know if her plan would be a success or not, even the fact that it would finish with her still breathing.

…

A flash of orange and blue exploded in Namimori Mountain at the clear night sky. As Basil's blue flames disappeared on his forehead, he looked at Natsuki worriedly, "Natsuki-dono! Are you alright?"

Natsuki's flame faded as well, leaving him with normal gloves on his hands. He tried to stand up, "That was dangerous…" he muttered.

Reborn went to him, face expressionless, but one could tell that he was half pissed and half worried. "If you had messed up, you could have died, Baka-Natsuki," he said and kicked him on the jaw powerfully. "You were thinking about something else, weren't you?" he guessed.

Natsuki sat up, his hand holding his jaw, "Ow! Don't kick me while I'm down!"

"Now let's continue," Reborn ordered.

Natsuki looked at him incredulously, "We're still going to? If we don't hurry, Hibari-san's match will start!" he reasoned.

"Leave Hibari's match to Yamamoto, Gokudera, Ryohei and his twin Alaude. You should concentrate on completing this technique,"

"But why? Are you serious?!" he demanded. He was getting pissed and fidgety as the seconds pass.

"I _am_ serious," he replied. Natsuki could only stare.

…

Kyouya glared at the large robot in front of him. The Cervello has explained that they would be battling in a miniature battlefield with guns aimed at them should they go within a thirty meter radius on them, and mines set under the ground. It was as if they were trying to get him killed along with the accursed robot that now was staring at him with his mechanical eyes.

"Is it me or did the robot became fatter?" Ryohei wondered.

"Of course he got fatter! They placed a lot of weapons in that hunk of junk!" Gokudera reasoned. "You better not lose Hibari!" Gokudera threatened.

Kyouya merely shrugged, "I don't intend to," he replied.

Alaude looked at his brother with a critical eye, and then to the Cervello. According to Giotto, the Cervello must have gotten the letter from him after the fight last night. Now all that was left was to watch the battle.

"Battle Start!" the Cervello declared.

Everyone stared at the match intently; Alaude had his arms across him, but was clutching his sleeve in worry for him as he glanced at the humanoid and him. Mosca propelled itself by his accelerators on his torso and lunged at Kyouya while hitting him with numerous ammos that came out of his hands.

Kyouya paid no heed to it as he dodged it to get close to the robot. In just a moment, he went to him and hit its head with one of his tonfa, then to its shoulder and dislocated it. The moment he distanced himself from the robot, it exploded.

All looked in shock on how the prefect easily defeated the large humanoid. On his hand, he completed the Cloud ring. Looking at the Cervello, he threw it, "I don't need this," he said. The Cervello caught it in time. He turned to look in Xanxus' direction. "Before I go, I want to fight the Monkey King sitting over there and for him to return Tsunarumi," he said.

Belphegor and Levi looked at their boss, "What do you say, boss?" he wondered.

Xanxus stood up and went to the battlefield. "I'll need to retrieve Gola Mosca," he said.

Kyouya glared at him, "That won't be advisable," he said as he turned to attack him again and again.

Xanxus in turn, merely stared at him as he dodged his every blow. Kyouya could read where he is going, and he kept on hitting him with his tonfas.

It was until he felt something ominous behind him, did he stop to see a black chain with a sharp end landing on them, making Kyouya stumble to the ground.

"Hibari!" Gokudera shouted.

They were all distracted when explosions went their ways. All of them dodged it successfully. "Are you all okay?" Gokudera asked.

Alaude grunted, "What was that?"

"Are you okay Sempai?" Yamamoto asked Ryohei.

"I'm still in one piece," he said.

Alaude gritted his teeth, "This is it…" he murmured low enough for everyone not to hear it. He fished out his phone and dialed a number that Tsuna had given him before she got kidnapped.

All went for cover on any onslaught of the Gola Mosca on berserk mode, not wanting to be at the receiving end of it.

This was pandemonium.

…

Natsuki's flame on his forehead receded as it disappeared altogether, his face full of sheer surprise with disbelief. "What…?"

Reborn smiled, "Good work. You completed the Zero Point Breakthrough," he praised.

"You are amazing Natsuki-dono!" Basil praised.

Natsuki smiled to himself, "I did it…I finally did it!" he said with glee.

"Now then, shall we go to the battles?" Reborn asked.

Natsuki nodded. His phone rang all of a sudden. It was an unknown number, so he knew that it might be from one of Giotto's friends from another school. "Hello?"

"Sawada Natsuki, get your ass out here! Gola Mosca is on a rampage, and is now destroying everything in its wake!" the voice of Alaude rang in his ears.

"What?" he shouted. "We'll be right there!" he said as he hung up. He looked at his tutor and Basil, "The Gola Mosca went on a rampage the moment Hibari-san defeated it!"

"In that case, we need to get there right now," Reborn replied.

…

Giotto and the others watched in shock on what is happening in the battlefield. But today, Daemon was not present. For the past days, they have been watching at their base, each and every one of the battles, thanks to Irie's cameras and computer skills. They had never thought that the humanoid would go berserk.

"Irie, can you check what Gola Mosca is composed of? Ryohei had mentioned that it had gotten fatter," Ugetsu ordered.

"Yes," the red head replied and typed away. The cameras that are more detailed closed in on the humanoid, and the heat sensors had shown such surprising results. "T-This is…" Irie muttered.

G. gritted his teeth, "So that's what makes it tick. No wonder Spanner's father abandoned it…"

"Barbaric if you ask me," Knuckle stated. "But look, there's two of it!" he said.

Ugetsu's eyes widened, "Wait…that means-!"

Lampo watched with eyes wide, "This is insane…"

Giotto gritted his teeth, "This is what Tsuna meant? What the hell possessed her to do this kind of plan?!"

…

Kyouya cursed at how things were going. It had dawned upon him that the man merely used him so that the humanoid will go on berserk mode the moment it saw its master attacked. Such a childish trick, but he knew that he had fallen for it, and he hated the man because of it. "The damned bastard…" he muttered.

Alaude went to Kyouya, "Are you alright?" he wondered as he checked up on him.

Kyouya nodded and looked at the school, "But the humanoid is destroying the school…" he seethed.

"Not if I can help it!" a stern voice said. All looked at the source and saw a figure with orange flames descending on the battlefield.

The humanoid then saw Natsuki in mid air. His eyes were the color of orange gold; flames were coming out of his forehead and hands, which were the reason of him being airborne. "He could fly?" Ryohei wondered.

"Tenth's flames on his hands are allowing him to go into the air…and he is the same as Hime-sama…" he mentioned.

The two others knew it. They had seen Tsuna in action in that way, and he was quite similar with his sister, yet different. Natsuki's hyperactive flames were different from Tsuna's calm ones. But that was not the case now.

Natsuki had found an enemy in Gola Mosca, with him being the main danger target. Without another second, the cannon on his middle body glowed green, which Gokudera had classified as a condensed-particle cannon. It was nothing to Natsuki and he forwarded his hand to meet the cannon, while emitting such powerful flames creating a shield. "I see you've already made me into an opponent to be killed…"

Xanxus glared, "So you came, however…"

Gola Mosca used his rockets on his torso and attacked Natsuki in full speed, and spread its bombs all over. Natsuki in turn, went for the air, and the two battled it out with Natsuki doing most of the dodging when it attacks with bombs and bullets.

Basil and Reborn entered the battlefield running, "What is going on here?" Basil wondered.

"It looks like Mosca's out to destroy everything. A human couldn't move like that," he explained as he observed the humanoid. "I wonder if it's gone out of control…"

Natsuki landed on the ground, and the moment he had looked up, Mosca released another set of bombs. Not allowing them to reach the ground, he propelled himself to the air again and used his flames to meet the incoming bombs, destroying them in the air.

As he went forward to the flying machine, Mosca once again used his hand guns to shoot at Natsuki, but the blond merely used his hands and flames to destroy them at once. The moment he got close, he took off its other arm as he flew past him.

Landing on the ground, he held the arm, but the humanoid dropped to the ground with a loud sound.

"Wow…" Yamamoto said, clearly out of words.

"Hey, you piece of junk," Natsuki called at the robot, Mosca in turn, turned its head to look at Natsuki, "You're now free of two arms," he said as he used his flames to destroy the other arm and exploded into process.

The computer of the robot observed Natsuki and classified him as a dangerous entity. It immediately switched target. Mosca then shot his numerous tracing bombs directed at Natsuki. The blond dodged it by jumping as they fell in groups.

"The other Sawada is…" Ryohei trailed off.

"What's going on? All the missiles were aimed at the Tenth!" Gokudera demanded.

"He's after Natsuki," Reborn informed, "Mosca is concentrating his attacks on Natsuki,"

Another group of bombs went to him from the air, and slammed to where he was standing, exploding immediately. But Natsuki propelled himself and went after the robot again, but Mosca started to attack him with his cannon again, but this time, instead of blocking it, he dodged it. When the cannon needed to recharge, Natsuki flew upwards, but the robot followed him at a close range. When he saw him attempting to use his cannon again, he went up even higher, with the Mosca aiming for him still by leaning up. But Natsuki was faster. With his strength and flames, he aimed his punch to the cannon, destroying it, falling to the ground.

"He's strong!" Ryohei said in amazement.

Gokudera grinned, "As expected of the Tenth!"

Belphegor and Levi stared. "No way…" Belphegor muttered, clearly not believing what is happening. When he and Levi looked at their boss, he was undeniably smiling. Something was up, and they know it.

**I bet you guys know what that is huh? If you really watched the anime or read the manga, you would know by now! Next chapter will bring about some unsuspecting surprises! **

**REVIEW~!**


	25. Revelations

**Wow! I see a lot of people liked the last chapter, and I'm glad to hear it! I won't keep you waiting any further for this chapter, so just enjoy!**

**Chapter 25 Revelations**

Meanwhile, in the sewers of Italy under the Vongola Headquarters, a small group of people were interrogating over an old man tied up with white hair that was surprisingly the identical of the Vongola Nono.

Earlier, they had invaded the Vongola Headquarters so that Iemitsu could talk to the Nono, but instead, the Nono had turned out to be a fake, and it was found out that his private jet, Feniche, had flown to Japan, making them conclude that the Ninth had left to Japan to oversee the battles while leaving a double, which was unusual. If the man had wanted to oversee the battles, he would have just come and show his face.

Iemitsu leaned on the brick wall, holding his bandaged waist with blood slowly seeping. Moretti, his spy, held up the light for everyone to see what was happening.

"Now, tell us what you know! Where's the real Vongola Nono?" a woman with blond hair named Oregano demanded.

A man with a stern looking face, Turmeric, held the old man in its suit, but the old man didn't seem to mind and just laughed like a lunatic. "It's too late…"

The man pulled him closer to face his eyes, "What's too late? Answer us or else!"

The man laughed again, "Do you really want to know? Then I'll tell you," he said, his sinister smile never leaving his face. "Did you know that Vongola was making the military's secret weapon?" he started. "An accursed weapon that was supposed to be lost in the shadows of history,"

It was then when Oregano remembered the notes that she, Turmeric and their Arcobaleno companion, Lal Mirch, had found in an abandoned laboratory a few hours before. "You mean the humanoid weapon that was sent to the Varia…"

"Yes, the Gola Mosca," the imposter confirmed.

Iemitsu recognized that to be present when he had announced the battles, "Mosca?"

"The reason why Gola Mosca was hidden, even though the military did all it could to erase it…I bet you don't know why," he taunted.

"What are you saying?" Oregano demanded.

The imposter kept smiling, "Gola Mosca is a weapon without a shred of humanity. The thing moves by eating human life!"

Lal looked at Iemitsu for clarification, "What is he saying?"

"Strictly speaking, it runs off the life energy of a special kind of flame that can be harvested from a certain kind of person…" he revealed.

Iemitsu realized what he was trying to say. "C-Could he mean…"

"Master," Oregano addressed him.

"What's the matter?" Lal wondered.

Iemitsu tried to stand up, "We need to cancel the conflict over the Cloud Ring right now!" he said.

But the man continued to cackle, "Oh, and one more thing," he said, gaining their attention. "It has come to me that the Varia had planned on expanding the cockpit of the host, making it a space enough for two people to fit in, to strengthen the power of the weapon…"

Iemitsu looked at him, "Who's the second host?!" he demanded.

"Xanxus has found that person quite powerful ever since he has acquired that person," the imposter said.

"H-He didn't…" Iemitsu trailed off.

"Yes. The second host was proved that she possesses an even stronger flame than the Ninth and your son. The second host is none other than your precious daughter." He revealed.

All of them could see the color drain in Iemitsu's face. His only thought was, _'No, not Tsuna!'_

…

Natsuki stared at the unmoving humanoid on a crater. Everyone was guessing when the humanoid would start to move and attack again.

"H-He beat that monster!" Ryohei stated.

"You did it Natsuki," Yamamoto praised.

"Splendid work Tenth!" Gokudera seconded.

Alaude stared at the scene, "Is it over?" he wondered. "That was pretty rough,"

Kyouya looked at Natsuki, with interest.

"As expected, a mechanical weapon is no match against Natsuki-dono!" Basil exclaimed.

But Reborn was not convinced. "But there's one thing I'm hung up on," he stated. "They could have unleashed Mosca's power and defeated us, wiping us out. Xanxus…why did he act in this roundabout way?" he started to wonder.

Natsuki stared, pretty much glared at Xanxus. "Xanxus, what is this?" he demanded.

Suddenly, Mosca's propellers activated again, and Natsuki saw it. As it reached him, Natsuki stopped it by its shoulder with one hand, making him slide back, but he held his ground and used his other hand and emitted his flames, and sliced the humanoid in half opening its insides. The robot lost its energy and it kneeled on the ground.

But what Natsuki was looking at inside the Mosca made his eyes widen. Two figures fell on the ground, coming out of the inside of the Mosca. Natsuki's eyes widened as he saw the two figures.

One was a man with white hair and mustache, pale skin, of Italian descent. The other was very, very familiar to Natsuki. It was a girl with long brown hair, and pasty complexion.

"N-No…" Natsuki muttered. "Nono…Nee-san!" he said as he kneeled to the ground, the flames on his forehead disappearing, and his eyes returning to that caramel color.

"W-What?" the others muttered under their breaths.

The Hibari twins stared, "Tsunarumi…" Kyouya murmured in shock.

"The Vongola Nono and Hime-sama…" Gokudera muttered. "They came out of the Mosca!"

Basil was also awestruck, "Why…why are they here?!"

"What…in the world is going on?" he wondered. "Why were they inside Mosca?"

Reborn went to the two, "Hey, hang in there," he looked at the expanded Mosca. "I've seen Mosca's structure once before, but it has been expanded so that two people would fit in. It seems like Nono and Tsuna were being used as Gola Mosca's power supply…"

"Why…?"

"This is no time to be asking why," Xanxus interjected. Natsuki stared at him, "You attacked Nono and your sister,"

Natsuki's eyes narrowed in shock. He had hurt his sister and the man that he had treated as his own grandfather.

Reborn took off the binds off of Nono, "There's no wounds on him…" he said. "Nono is fine, but…" he looked at Tsuna who had a wound on her. He took off her binds to find that there was a wound on her stomach. "Tsuna must have taken the blow, seeing that Nono had some slight wounds, but her wounds can't be dealt with using first aid."

In a matter of seconds, Kyouya and Alaude went to Tsuna's unconscious body. "Tsunarumi!" Kyouya shouted in concern.

"It's bad. She needs medical attention immediately," Alaude stated.

"That's…"

"Who mercilessly punched her?" Xanxus began to question. "Who scorched Mosca into two, along with the old man and the girl?" Natsuki involuntarily looked at his hands with guilt written on his face. By now, Kyouya was suppressing his rage.

"T-That's…" his eyes were narrowing, "I…Nono and Nee-san…I…"

"No," they heard the old man say. Xanxus was also shocked at the awakened man. As for Natsuki, he was feeling something else. The Nono that he knew had a warm feel around him…but this time, it was pretty creepy, as creepy as a certain illusionist's…

"No…I'm not the Nono," he admitted. Then a smirk crept on his face. Everyone shivered at thte sight of the Ninth maing that kind of malicious face. It was then when mist covered the whole place. It started to fog up making some of them unable to see through it.

Alaude glared at the mist, "You're late!" he complained.

"Nufufufu, I had to disguise myself and infiltrate the Varia base here in Namimori you know," Daemon's voice stated. The figure that was once the Ninth that was lying down stood up, changing his form. "I've got to say, looking like an old man is too much for me, and it could scar me for life if I ever looked like that when I wake up," he reasoned.

"Sheesh, of all the people you have to imitate, why him?" Lampo's voice said.

"Stop the complaining brat, it's under orders," G.'s voice said.

"Maa, there's nothing to get pissed about," Ugetsu was heard.

"All we have to do is the job that _Regina_ ordered us," Knuckle's voice stated.

"That's enough, we are here on an assignment, and we have work to do," finally, Giotto's voice was heard at the same time the mist cleared.

All looked at them when they suddenly appeared in the battle field. To say the least, they all looked in shock when they saw the Ninth under the support of Knuckle and Ugetsu, wearing some formal clothes.

"N-Nono…" Natsuki muttered.

Xanxus looked like he was about to explode, "You…" he seethed.

G. smirked, "Surprised to see your _battery number one_ out of the humanoid?" he taunted.

Alaude stood up and looked at Xanxus, "It was a good plan, replacing Vongola Nono with an imposter, so that no one would suspect that he is the battery of the Mosca, and making sure that everyone thinks that Feniche is still in Italy for maintenance. Then you requested _Sentinella_ to help out on your quest for power," he stated. "But you didn't know that _Regina _ had already decided upon the successor of the Vongola before she even contacted you, because someone had sent a request letter before you,"

"_Regina_ ordered you to acquire Tsuna in order to see what you will do to her to be of use, and when you noticed that she carried such immense flames, you immediately ordered the expansion of Gola Mosca's cockpit to fit in two so that Tsuna could have room," Ugetsu continued.

"You planned on framing Sawada Natsuki by using Gola Mosca so that the moment he destroyed the humanoid, he will be framed of killing Vongola Nono. Then you found out about Tsuna and added her into the mix, thinking that if the others learn that Natsuki attacked the two of them, you would be having an advantage to _avenge_ what happened to your father and his sister that he had tried to kill," Knuckle continued.

"You know yourself that winning the conflict was not enough, because the ones who were aware of the truth of the Crib incident would decide against you becoming the Decimo. So you formulated this plan. If you avenge Nono, they would turn into your favor and do it nicely," Lampo supplied.

Giotto stared at Xanxus, "You are exposed, Xanxus," he declared.

The others did not believe on what they were saying, let alone believe that they were actually aware of the whole affair. Xanxus merely glared, "What is it to you? And why are you going on in the affairs of the Vongola when your relatives are the only ones involved?" he demanded.

"Nufufufu," Daemon chuckled, "You still don't get it don't you?" he said. "You asked _Sentinella_ to decide upon who will be the successor of the Vongola, and now you ask why we are meddling?" they noticed something glint on their collars with a black shiny pin with an unfamiliar insignia to those who had no idea concerning the inner workings of the mafia world.

Natsuki looked at them, "Then…!"

Gokudera was the one who answered, "Tenth, they are _Sentinella_, and before you offered all of us to be your guardians, we were members of it," he admitted, his face showing guilt. An expression that he has never seen marred on the boy's face. When Natsuki looked at his other guardians, he could see that they were all guilty of being involved in Vindice's spy branch.

Reborn, Basil, Natsuki and the remaining Varia members were shocked at the revelation, most especially Natsuki. He had never thought that the _Sentinella_ organization was just under their noses the whole time, and they had worried themselves in knowing who the agents are. He felt like he was made a fool.

Reborn stared at the unconscious Tsuna, "What about her?" he wondered.

Giotto shook his head, "She is not a member," he confessed. It was the truth. Tsuna was not a member, but their _Regina della Sentinella_. "We had used Tsuna to be the main bait of everything that had to do in the Ring Conflict, and she has approved of being one."

Natsuki stared at his twin, "B-But…why would Nee-san do that…?"

Lampo sighed, "You still don't know?" he wondered. "The moment Tsuna found out about this, she didn't hesitate to become the bait so that she could ensure that you become the Decimo," he explained.

"Oh, and one more thing Xanxus," Alaude said, "You were not eligible of becoming the Vongola Decimo, so why die trying?" he wondered.

Xanxus' hands glowed dangerously, "You…"

Alaude merely smirked as he held up his hands and handcuffed Xanxus' hands by the gold handcuffs that came out from the ground. When he looked at Alaude, he was holding the chains that had came from underground. "No use destroying my handcuffs Xanxus. This is made to neutralize your Flame of Rage," he warned.

Giotto nodded in thanks to Alaude, "As he was saying, you have no right to inherit Vongola, Xanxus, because you are _not_ a Vongola," he revealed.

Natsuki looked at the old man that was being supported by Knuckle and Ugetsu, "Nono…is this true?"

"True as the day it was discovered," a new voice said. All turned to see Squalo being pushed by Romario, and beside him was Dino.

"So you're alive," Xanxus said with disdain. He then looked at his so-called father, "Well go on, and tell the truth. Prove that you are not the person people think you are!" he demanded.

Timoteo had no choice but to tell it. "Xanxus is not my son by blood," he explained. That got the attention of everyone. "His mother went delusional after she saw Xanxus emit the Flame of Rage. She believed that I had fathered her child. But I hadn't seen him before in my life. But because the child believed what his mother had said, I had decided to take him in as my son. I treated him as such, until the day that I had to decide on who will be my successor. I chose Federico, since he was my most favored son, but Xanxus had protested. It was not until he had come across my diary did he find out the truth about himself…"

"That reason alone created the Crib incident, and I had done everything so that the fact that Xanxus was the one who started it under wraps. His time stood still for eight years because…I froze him myself," he admitted.

"By the use of the Zero Point Breakthrough," Natsuki supplied. "That would explain his scars…"

"Correct…and now because of my weakness, Xanxus awoke once again…" Timoteo finished.

Xanxus scoffed, "Now that everyone knows, what are you going to do about it?"

"We won't do anything," Giotto answered, "But _Regina _will,"

The Cervello then started to intervene, "We have received orders from _Regina della Sentinella_ about this matter," they revealed. One of them carried a large laptop. "She would like to talk to you all," they announced.

The screen flashed and showed the insignia of _Sentinella_, and in no time at all, a girl's figure was revealed, sitting on a throne-like chair, her legs crossed. She was wearing a white turtleneck sweater and a black skirt, and black stockings, and it was supplied by a pair of brown leather boots. Her long black hair was slightly curvy, and when they looked at her, she was wearing an obsidian black mask that covered her upper face, leaving only her lips.

"Ciao, Vongola," she greeted in a mature voice. She was wearing a black voice alteration choker. "As you may know, I am the one they call _Regina della Sentinella_, the leader of the Watchers." She introduced. "It has come to my knowledge about the multiple conspiracies and the conflict of succession of the Vongola that has been on for quite a few weeks now, and as requested, I am now revealing myself to choose the formidable successor of the family. Do excuse my casual clothing though," she said with a small chuckle.

All watched as the woman, or girl, explains herself, "Since now that Vongola Nono had finally shed light into the matter of the Crib incident and the ineligibility of Xanxus as a successor, it is only proper that Sawada Natsuki be the proper Vongola heir as the Decimo," all expected this answer, "And thus, all of the Vongola Rings must be given to his family, yes? But that will not be the case though," she said. "It's my time to turn the tables. As the one privileged to choose the successor by official right and request, I have sent an official order to the Cervello to confiscate all of the Vongola Rings and are to be in my possession as soon as possible,"

The others couldn't move an inch when they heard that. Confiscating the rings? Did she even have the right to do that?

Reborn looked at the screen, "But why, may I ask?" he asked.

"A good question, Arcobaleno," she said. "I have seen the worth of the guardians as I watched over the battles, but I am still yet to see the worth of the ones who are supposed to inherit the title itself," she explained. "Now that the heir has been narrowed into one, I must test the potential of the very person, which is Sawada Natsuki. Therefore, within a week, Sawada Natsuki is to prove himself if he has the right to succeed the Vongola while fighting against me," she explained.

"What?" Dino said in surprise.

"What if he fails?" Reborn demanded.

The woman showed a smile, "Should he fail, then we have to make the older twin the Decimo," she said. "After all, it was her birthright, and it was deprived from her, in favor of the boy in the family," she stated and clicked her tongue, "As much as I hate sexists, I had voted that she has every right to be one. And she had already showed potential when she had powered the Gola Mosca, proving that she has more flame reserves, does it not?"

All were silent at this. "Please don't let Tsunarumi know of this little talk hmm? Or else she would go on an unnecessary rampage about it. Well then, enough chit-chat. I will contact you to tell you where to go, but for now, use this remaining week to recuperate, Sawada Natsuki. I will be expecting a good fight from you. _Ciao_," she bid and the screen flashed back to black.

"Now that the terms had been announced by her," the Cervello woman started, "We are to confiscate all of the rings, and send them to _Regina della Sentinella _immediately," they said.

They all complied as they gave out the rings. Daemon had asked Mukuro's earlier, knowing of the outcome, and all the rings fell into the possession of the Cervello and left.

After the whole thing, Giotto spoke, "Now that the announcement of _Regina_ has been done, the order given to us is to release the Varia and are to be deported back to Italy under base arrest. Nothing must come in or out of the base unless there is permission with the ones stationed in Italy." He announced.

"Wait," Gokudera said, looking at his cousin especially, "Why were we not told about this assignment? Does _Regina_ not trust us?" he demanded.

G sighed as he answered him, "Hayato…she _especially_ wanted you six to be kept in the dark about this," he answered.

"W-What? Is she serious?" Yamamoto trailed off.

Kyouya looked ready to kill. "Why?" he demanded.

"_Regina_ knew that you were one day going to become the guardians of Sawada Natsuki," Alaude explained. "She knew that, just like _that guy_ did. You were meant to become the guardians of the Vongola Decimo,"

The four of them stayed silent. Then they remembered what the Parallel Lambos had said when they met them. They didn't know Natsuki, but they knew _them_. They were the guardians of the Vongola Decimo no matter _who_ that Decimo is.

"I'm sorry if you guys are kept in the dark, but it has to be this way," Ugetsu said apologetically.

"We better get going," Knuckle said as he went to Dino so that he could hold the old man instead. "He still needs some rest and it is advisable to take him to the hospital," he informed.

Dino took him with the support of Romario.

"We have to go now," Daemon said as he slammed the end of his trident on the ground. Soon after, the Varia members were all in the custody of Giotto and the others, and just like when they appeared, they disappeared the moment Daemon had conjured the thick mist.

…

Tsuna was sent to the hospital for a wound in the stomach because of second degree burn. Nana had been told that there had been a little accident, which she had bought, but she was required to rest and stay in the hospital or some much needed rest because of showed body weakness.

Giotto had lied to Nana that ever since she had gotten over being sick, she kept pressuring herself which had caused the accident and the fatigue, but in truth, she had been exhausted by the Gola Mosca for taking most of her flame reserves. Reborn explained that the reserves would return to its normal level after some much needed rest, but Natsuki was not purely convinced.

"I wonder when Nee-san would be awake…" Natsuki wondered, staring at his sister worriedly. It had been a day since she was admitted, and since Reborn started to train him again to prepare for his final trial.

"It will take at least two days for her flame reserves to return to normal, so just be patient," Reborn stated. "By the way, Mama was just here, and now most of the time, Hibari had been watching over her." he informed.

"Hibari-san did what?" Natsuki demanded.

Reborn turned to the window, "Nevermind. Well then, I need to take care of some things, see you," he said as he jumped out of the window, out of his sight.

The door slid open revealing Giotto entering the room. Giotto was carrying some tiger lilies. "Ah, Natsuki…" he greeted. Ever since they had revealed of their involvement in _Sentinella_, things had been quite awkward for all of them. He even acted that way towards Fran, and the others, and he could see that he had offended his guardians greatly, sans for Kyouya, Lambo and Mukuro. He had never thought that they would get involved in a dangerous organization, but that's what _Sentinella_ is, unpredictable. He could only guess what their leader would be like.

"Hey…you're visiting Nee-san?" he wondered.

Giotto was finding his words, "Um, yeah, I am, but I'll leave right away," he promised.

Natsuki shook his head, "No, take your time. I know how Nee-san means to you," he stated as he grabbed his bag to leave.

Giotto stopped him, "Natsuki," he called. "I want to talk to you about something…since the secret is out..."

Natsuki looked at him, noticing his pleading look. "Okay…"

Giotto nodded as he closed the door. Natsuki stayed seated beside his sister while Giotto sat on the couch. "Natsuki, I know that you are upset about finding out that all of us are aware of the mafia and your family's involvement on this," he started.

"I'm not mad," Natsuki denied. "I'm just a little too…upset and shocked at the same time…" he admitted.

"Natsuki, we were the reason why Tsuna found out about the mafia," he confessed.

The younger blond snapped his head to look at Giotto, "What?"

"At first," Giotto began, "It was Kyouya. His and Alaude's family had come from a long line of mafia related men, being in an intelligence agency for generations, and when he had saved Tsuna when they met, she had found out everything about the Vongola," he explained. "No matter how much we tried to deny her allegations that we are somehow involved, she showed us proofs of the involvement, and we had no choice but to shed light on her questions…I'm sorry, but Tsuna had been too insistent…"

Natsuki stayed silent for a while. He had known of his sister to be a knowledge seeker, and he understood it very well. "I understand," he said. "Nee-san had always been the one who wanted to know everything, and her interest in Dad's work alone is enough drive to make her want to know more about it, to know the reason why he prefers to work away from the family," he said. "What upsets me is that you guys were all involved in the most notorious spy organization in the mafia, and you never told us," he said.

Giotto sighed as he twiddled his thumbs, "Well…you see…we have only been involved in _Sentinella_ for two years. And we are forbidden to tell anyone of our involvement, so we couldn't tell you, and by the time you arrived…we were already doing the assignment that _Regina_ had ordered us involving the Vongola successions. I'm sorry about all of this, but this is what it has to be. There are ups and downs on being undercover you know," he explained.

Natsuki rolled his eyes, "Tell me about it…" he then shifted to another subject, "So, how is Nono?" he wondered.

Noticing that he has been forgiven, he decided to answer, "He's resting. Daemon did take his place under an illusionary disguise, but the only source that Gola Mosca had taken was Tsuna's reserves. Nono will be eligible for travel in two days, and he wanted to talk to Tsuna anyways before he leaves…"

Natsuki smiled as he looked at his sister, fast asleep, "I can understand that. Nee-san has helped us out a lot…" he stated. "What about Hibari-san?" he wondered. "I hadn't seen him at school,"

"He'll be here when he comes. You'll know when he commands you to get lost," he merely replied. No one knew that the person they were talking about was just outside the door.

"I dare you to repeat that, Kaichou," he addressed.

The two cringed in fear. "No, I don't think so Kyouya,"

"Then I will do it. Get lost," he commanded. The two stared. "_Well_?" he pressed.

It took approximately five seconds before the two left the room. Closing the door, he looked at Tsuna, peacefully asleep, like she was in no danger at all. Sitting down beside her, he took her hand where her ring was placed. He gave it a peck and held Tsuna's hand, for the first time, worry filled his eyes. He has never been worried about her like this before, and it was stressing him. Even so, he knew that it will all be worth it once she opens her eyes to show its caramel glow soon enough.

"Tsunarumi…" he held her hand tighter, "Please tell me _this_ is only part of your plans…"

**Ooh, an unconscious Tsuna! Didn't expect that did you? I figure this is a good time to stop the chapter, and I hope you would anticipate the next one!**

**REVIEW~!**


	26. Waking Up with a Plan

**Okay! New Chapter! A lot has been quite concerned on what happened to Tsuna, but then, finding out is half the fun! The final trial will be soon, just you wait!**

**Now, enjoy this chapter!**

**Chapter 26 Waking Up with a Plan**

Reborn entered a private room at the top floor of Namimori Private Hospital where Timoteo was admitted. Inside was Iemitsu who had just arrived from Italy after finding out the truth about everything. He could tell that he is suffering a bullet wound on his waist that was inflicted by the imposter of the old man. The moment he had found out about Tsuna becoming the second host, as well as the bait of the _Sentinella_ agents, it didn't take a second for him to book a flight to Namimori. He had never thought for a second that his nephew from Nana's side as well as the cousins, brother and uncle of Natsuki's guardians were the permanent members of the organization, and that his own guardians were their _Confidante_. Who knew that they were really under their noses?

Giotto had explained that it was all the orders of their _Regina della Sentinella_ and that it was a plan that Tsuna had agreed herself on becoming the bait.

"How are you feeling now, sir?" Reborn asked.

Timoteo, who was sitting up, smiled at Reborn, "I'm alright, I can now go home in two days," he stated. "But, has Tsunarumi-kun awakened yet?" he asked.

"Not yet I'm afraid, Nono," Reborn replied.

Timoteo frowned slightly. "That girl saved my life," he said. "With that, I cannot thank her enough,"

"She acted under _Regina della Sentinella_, of course her motive is to save you," Iemitsu stated. "But I have no idea what drove her to use herself as the bait of all this," he questioned.

Reborn knew what he meant. "True, Tsuna knew a lot about the mafia, including the Ring Conflict that had come along, but to use her life to such an extent, not even I don't know what made her sacrifice herself,"

Timoteo looked at the two of them, "I think I know," he guessed. "Tsunarumi-kun loves her brother so much, that she knew that if Natsuki-kun loses the candidacy, well, Xanxus will do everything in his power to eliminate Natsuki-kun, his guardians, family and friends. She knew that much and I would not be surprised if that was her exact reason," he stated. "What wondered me the most is that she knew everything about the mafia, and still, she did not do anything to stake her claim as the proper boss by birthright, which was astounding," he said. "I would like to wait for her to wake for me to ask that to her," he wished.

Reborn then brightened up the mood, "Then she would make a good CEDEF leader," he suggested.

"I don't think she would accept that, Reborn," Nono intervened. "As much as Natsuki-kun had told me about her earlier, she has some resentment towards Iemitsu, and I would expect that she would refuse the position that had originally made him leave his family for a long period of time,"

"Probably…" Iemitsu muttered.

…

Natuski and Giotto ran out of the hospital room the moment Kyouya told them to get lost. Panting, they got to the lobby in record time, though some nurses and patients along the corridor glared at them a bit for their running, some even misunderstood that there was an emergency that made them run like they were running for their lives, which was not far from the truth.

"That was close!" Giotto stated. "Any second later we could have been meeting his tonfas,"

Natsuki looked back at the corridor, "Yeah, but is running to the lobby really necessary?" he wondered.

"No, but I figured we should leave anyway. Visiting hours will end soon anyway," he stated.

Natsuki agreed to that, "Well, I better go. I need to do some errands today," he bid.

Giotto nodded, "I still need to see the doctor to check up on Tsuna's improvement," he bid as Natsuki went out of the hospital.

Natsuki didn't really have some errands to do. He just wanted to get out of the hospital as quick as possible. Finding out that your sister had been used as bait with her consent, his guardians formerly acquainted with the most secretive spy organization, their relatives being the agents of the said organization and the fact that the whole thing was planned out at the very beginning was really bent on making your head go to a 360 degree turn. He never expected this kind of thing from his hometown. His dad does disappear and reappear after months and then years, and he didn't see him get too shocked at the changes. He was just unlucky that the time of drastic change went into his time of disappearance of five years.

Never in his life would he expect that the people he had met in Namimori were all connected to _Sentinella_ one way or another, even his chosen guardians. The only thing he was thankful of was that Tsuna was not a member, but a mere volunteer, helping to carry out the eccentric plans of the organization just because they were friends, and Tsuna always wants to lend a hand to anyone, especially when it is important. He couldn't wait to ask the one they call _Regina della Sentinella_ personally about a lot of things. That including how his sister, cousin and friends had come across the organization she leads.

Finding peace at the river, he laid down on the soft green grass, looking up at the clear sky. He really doesn't know what to do with the things that he had found out overnight two days ago. He had never expected this kind of revelation to impact on him at once. Reborn, Iemitsu and Nono had said before that he had to be the accepting vast sky of the family, harmonizing them in all aspects. But right now, he was not doing it properly. He had even felt a little hostile towards his guardians, excluding his sister's boyfriend since he had hated him the moment he had found out about their relationship. He has been the dark stormy sky for some reason, and that was not something to go by at all. He started to question his eligibility again, after hearing that should he fail the final trial against _Regina della Sentinella_, his sister would become the future boss by default. That was out of the question for him. He would never dare endanger his sister in the mafia in that manner, even though she has some knowledge over it.

"Natsuki-kun?" a familiar mellow voice called at him. Sitting up, he turned and saw Kyoko looking at him; probably she was on her way home.

"Kyoko-san," he called as Kyoko went to him.

"Did you already see Tsuna-chan?" she wondered.

Natsuki forced himself not to stutter, "Um, yeah, I just left. She's not awake yet though," he informed.

A frown made it to her face, "I see…so the humanoid really did absorb a lot of her flame reserves," she stated.

'_Not her too!'_ Natsuki thought, "Wait…you know about this whole thing?" he asked.

Kyoko nodded, "Of course. Tsuna-chan is one of my best friends. I thought Kaichou has already told you that all of us are aware of the mafia and involved in_ Sentinella_?" she asked.

"H-He did but…he never mentioned that it included you," he said.

Kyoko giggled at this, making Natsuki's heart skip a beat. This girl was doing things that he normally doesn't feel. "Haru-chan and I are aware of it, and all of it. What do you expect? I'm the sister of your Sun guardian after all," she stated.

"W-What…eh?" Natsuki could only look stupid.

Kyoko stopped her giggles, "I know that you are a bit mad for keeping you in the dark, but we had no choice. Giotto-san, Alaude-san, Ugetsu-san, Lampo-san, Knuckle-niisan, Daemon-san and G-san had the absolute order of _Regina_ to keep this a secret to all of us, especially to your guardians. Truthfully, when we found out about it yesterday, we got a little upset, but all of us knew why she had done what she did. It was to keep it a secret as much as possible, and to suppress the knowledge of the other families who will dare endanger Vongola. We know that much, so don't hold it against us," she pleaded.

Natsuki couldn't believe he was hearing this from her. He never took her to be a mafia kind of person, but here she was, a knowledgeable girl that had happened to be the girl of his dreams. Sure Italian girls mature early, but they didn't have that certain kick of gentleness that he has seen in the Sasagawa girl. She was one of a kind in his sights. Going back to what she had said, he had merely smiled at her, "I know that. Thank you for telling me," he thanked, "You don't know how much your reasoning means to me,"

Natsuki didn't see Kyoko blush when she heard his reply with his bright smile. Shaking her head slightly, she gave him a charm, "Here," she handed it to him, "It's a charm that I made. It will help you in your battle with _Regina_ next week. I hope you pass her trial," she hoped.

Natsuki nodded, "Thanks,"

…

Timoteo and Iemitsu were in the old man's room when Reborn announced that Tsuna had woken up finally. Not wasting any time, Timoteo instructed Iemitsu to lead him to his wheelchair and bring him to Tsuna's hospital room.

"How long has it been since she has woken up?" Timoteo asked.

Reborn was perched on Iemitsu's shoulder, "Three minutes after I told you," he informed.

Iemitsu on the other hand, was glad that his daughter had finally opened her eyes. The moment he had found out about her being confined, he just couldn't sit still for more than three minutes without breaking something valuable. "That's good…I better call Nana after this," he said.

The moment they got to the outside of the room, the door was ajar and they could hear a boy's voice. "Don't you _ever_ do that again Tsunarumi, or _so help me_, I _will_ _not_ be able to guarantee the safety of everyone I come across to," Reborn could tell that it was the Head Prefect's voice.

"I know Kyouya," said Tsuna's muffled voice. The three peered in to see that Kyouya was hugging Tsuna tightly, her head resting on his shoulder, "I'm sorry for making you worry so much recently…I didn't want to bring it to you…"

"Just promise me one thing Tsunarumi, don't you _ever_ keep me in the dark _again_. You can do that with the other herbivores, but don't you _dare_ do that to _me_ again, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes. You know, not telling you are one of the hardest parts that I had to do. I almost wanted to tell you, but I couldn't risk it…" Tsuna explained.

Kyouya pulled away from the hug, and looked at her caramel eyes, resting his forehead against hers, his eyes closed, "I don't know what I'd do had something worse happen to you," he said.

"But you love me anyways," she mused.

Kyouya sent her an annoyed glance, which Tsuna merely smiled at in return, "I do, but don't push it,"

After hearing this, Iemitsu couldn't believe that his daughter was with the Cloud Guardian of her brother. No wonder Tsuna didn't want him to know, he was being kept in the dark like he had done to Tsuna and Natsuki before they were ten. If this was some kind of revenge, consider it done.

Reborn knew it was the time to interrupt them, so he asked Timoteo to knock on the door. Expectedly, the two tore themselves away from each other before Tsuna permitted their entry. When Timoteo glanced at Tsuna, she had her natural glow back, but he could see it in her eyes that she was not expecting her father to push his wheelchair to get in the room, with Reborn perched on the said man's shoulder.

"Ciaossu, I see you're awake, Tsuna," he greeted.

"Reborn, Nono…" she looked at Iemitsu, "You," she addressed.

Timoteo could feel her bubbling resentment surfacing again, and before both could utter a word, he spoke, "Young man, may I have the permission of talking to Tsunarumi-kun alone?" he wondered.

Kyouya looked at the old man, then at the two others. He casted a glance at Tsuna, eyes telling him that it would be okay, "Two's a company, three's a crowd. I better go then," he glanced at Tsuna, "I'll go visit again tomorrow," he assured as he turned to leave, but not before bowing at the old man with respect.

Timoteo looked at Iemitsu and Reborn, "I'll be fine, go on ahead, I need to speak to her privately, and you need to inform Nana-san as well,"

Iemitsu seemed a little too against it, but he complied, with he and Reborn leaving the room. Timoteo wheeled himself close to Tsuna's bed, "How are you feeling, child?" he asked.

Tsuna smiled in return, "A bit weak for now, and my injuries hurt a little bit, but a bit of work and I'll be fine," she assured.

The man laughed lightly, "That's good to know," he said. "I would like to thank you for your help in the matter of the succession of Vongola, Tsunarumi-kun," he thanked.

"No need to thank me. Besides, Natsuki still has one task ahead of him," she mentioned. The man was about to ask her why she knew, but she continued on, "_Regina_ trusts me with her life, and what she knows, I know," she explained.

Timoteo took it as that Tsuna and the leader were good friends, "I see. But then, I still thank you for saving me from what has befallen me because of this whole conflict…I cannot express my gratitude enough for you to know how much it means to me,"

"You are the grandfather figure of Natsuki while he was in Italy," Tsuna said with a smile, "And it would hurt him if you had died, or had something bad happen to you,"

"But it would hurt Natsuki-kun more if something bad has happened to _you_," he countered, "Since he had arrived in Italy, he had never stopped talking about his adorable Nee-san every single day, and I kind of enjoyed his stories over meals. He really loves you,"

"Yes he does," Tsuna replied, "To the point of taking my place as the Vongola Decimo," she added to the mix. She could see the bewildered eyes of the man.

"There is something I would like to ask you, dear child," he said, "If you are aware of the mafia and the Vongola, then why did you not stake your claim as the Vongola Decimo?"

Tsuna knew that this question would come around sooner or later, and she had a hunch that it would be asked out of her the moment she woke up. She smiled at him, "I didn't need to," she replied. "You chose Natsuki yourself, and I respect your decision. I didn't bother to stake my claim, because I know that if I do, I would be separated from Mom who is hurting enough because she missed five years of Natsuki's life," she explained. "It's bad enough that my father and brother are gone, but to have her daughter taken away as well? I think she would be torn by it, so I didn't bother. I knew it in me as well that Natsuki will become a good boss given time,"

"You possess great power, and yet, you refuse to take up the mantle of leadership that was originally meant for you just because another has been chosen. I respect that kind of thought, young lady," he praised.

"Because I know I am meant for something else," she admitted.

Timoteo decided to change the subject, "It has come to me that the young man that was with you earlier has some…affections towards you," Tsuna fought the urge to look horrified at that. She knew someone was peering in the moment Kyouya scolded her, "I might say that he is quite the young man," he mused.

Tsuna showed a tint of pink on her cheeks, "Yes he is. He the one who helped me greatly in life for the past four years, and I can't thank him enough for that," she replied.

Timoteo chuckled, "Young love can spring from anywhere, and I believe that yours has in an unexpected way," Tsuna didn't have to tell him how right he was. Sure the first time she had started to train with Kyouya, she had actually labeled him as a devil incarnate for the body pain that came with it, but it had all come into fruition after a few weeks.

"I believe so," Tsuna replied, playing with the ring he has given her unconsciously.

"As for the matter of your father," Tsuna had shown a flash of rage, but disappeared a few seconds later. That didn't escape the man's attention, "I must apologize greatly," he said. "It is my fault that Iemitsu had been very distant to you, and to the fact that you had harbored great hate towards him. I tried to reason with him once, honestly, but I had feared that it had been too late when I told him that he should not delve himself into work and be deprived of seeing his family. But he had taken his job as a dangerous thing, and should his enemies discover that he has a home to return to here in Namimori, your lives could have been in danger…"

Tsuna calmed herself down for a moment, processing things. Did the Vongola Nono _apologize_ to her? It was so surreal that he couldn't even believe it. The old man was apologizing for monopolizing her father's time, leading to his absence in the family circle. Heaving a sigh, she opened her mouth to tell what she had really felt about it, "Nono…first of all, I don't fully blame you of my father's absence," she said. "Half of it, I blame on him. Who told him to be good in his job anyway? And I had told this to Natsuki once before, the moment we were born we were already badly involved in the mafia, being the direct descendant of Vongola Primo," she informed.

"What about your relationship with your father?" Timoteo asked. He knew that Iemitsu and Reborn were still listening in, "Have you already forgiven him for everything?"

Tsuna looked away from the man and stared at her sheets. She saw that her hands were turned into fists, clutching the sheets in the process. She had to take it all out without rage seeping out, and she had to answer honestly. "To be honest Nono…it would take a long time for me to forgive him," she replied. "I hate the fact that he distanced himself to us, to Mom, with her worrying what is happening to him, if her husband will return to her in one piece. The fact that he took Natsuki away from us to Italy, I hate that he had ignored me for almost all my life. There are a lot of things that I hated about him. I can't just forgive him just because I found out that he is in the mafia. It's not enough…" by that moment, Tsuna's shoulders were trembling with suppressed rage, "Maybe I could forgive him someday…but to actually love him again…? That's impossible," she admitted. "He _can't_ mend our relationship now. Maybe I wanted to at one point, but I lost interest now…"

Timoteo knew that the girl was caught up in a myriad of emotions, the fact that there are a lot of things going on about her just in the subject of her father; it would mean that she has mixed feelings towards him. All were negative, he might add. "Tsunarumi-kun," he muttered. "Know this," he started, "No matter how you feel about your father, he still cares about you in every way." He informed. "I believe there was never a day that he had stopped thinking about you and looking at the pictures Nana-san sent to him every month and on your birthday, most especially on the letters she sends to him about the two of you, and the times that you were ill, nonetheless," he informed.

The information felt alien to Tsuna. She had always wondered why her mother had constantly been taking their pictures since they were young. She and Natsuki always figured that it was a mother's way of remembering everything and piling them all up in a photo album that had now reached twenty volumes on the living room shelves; some were embarrassing, and amusing. "Pictures?" she questioned.

Timoteo had concluded that Tsuna had no idea of it, "Up until when you had graduated elementary, did the pictures stop coming, and only letters from Nana-san were received by him. That's when he had realized that there was a gap in the relationship of the two of you, and your insistence on your mother not taking pictures of you all the time," he stated. "He was too torn, I might say,"

The girl heaved a sigh, "Be that as it may, that is still not changing the fact that he was never there physically. For me, he is demoted to the position as a paternal DNA provider and a financial provider," she let out.

The old man knew that he had no more to say for this matter, "If that's the way you want to believe it child, I have nothing further to say about him." he dismissed, "On the other hand, I will be leaving for Italy as soon as the doctors can confirm that I can now travel back to Italy,"

Tsuna looked back at the old man, "With all due respect, but _Regina_ wants you to witness the final trial of Natsuki," she asked. "Just so she could show you that she is doing the right thing in testing Natsuki," she stated.

The old man thought for a moment, and then replied, "Of course. And it will be a privilege in seeing her fight. She is rumored to be good in combat, and it would be a good opportunity to meet the new leader of the organization that had been under the shadows for hundreds of years," he replied.

Tsuna smiled in return, "I'm glad you think that way,"

…

The moment Giotto and the rest found out that Tsuna was finally awake; they didn't hesitate to visit her immediately. When the _Sentinella_ agents arrived, however, they were greeted by the scene of Nana talking to Tsuna. It hurt their insides every time they see Nana with a negative face. The woman was always full of joy and gentleness that she alone could emit even in the direst times. Seeing her so worried, it tore their hearts apart.

"Nana-san," Giotto greeted.

Both females in the room looked at the door to see the seven of them standing, with Giotto holding a bouquet of tiger lilies.

"Hello boys," Nana greeted, her face returning to its natural cheer. "Ooh lilies! You shouldn't have bothered," Nana stated and pointed at the tiger lilies that Kyouya had brought earlier.

"I see Kyouya already went ahead of us…" Lampo said. "That secret romantic," he muttered the last statement.

Ugetsu merely smiled, "Now, now, Kyouya has the right to do so anyway," he reasoned.

G scowled, "Tch, hopeless romantic…" he agreed in the statement of the green haired teen.

Tsuna smiled at their antics, and then looked at her mother, "You better go home now Mom. Natsuki might be needing dinner earlier than usual, and you've been here all afternoon," she stated.

Nana smiled at her daughter and nodded. "Alright Tsu-chan, but take care of yourself. I will be here tomorrow morning," she said as she kissed her forehead and smiled at the boys, "Now you seven watch over her, alright?" she said and left.

When they knew that Nana was already away from the room, all of them went into business. "How are you feeling right now Hime?" Daemon asked.

Tsuna groaned as she leaned on her pillow, "Still a little weak, but I'm fine. That darn humanoid really did only eat Sky flames…" she said.

"Nufufufu, you're part illusionist, so you're fine," he said.

Tsuna thought about her flames. She had discovered that she can conjure illusions ever since she met Mukuro, and had sensed her potential. While she was against nurturing her abilities, it did help out on certain occasions. But Kyouya was quite against her actually _mastering_ it, not wanting her to end up like a certain pineapple convict. But then she was still quite skillful in that art, to save her when she is in a pinch.

"I hardly doubt that," Tsuna said. "You know that my dominant flame is Sky," she then remembered about the Cloud Match, "By the way, Kyoko-chan was quite the actress," she praised, "I never thought she could pull it off, with the voice altering choker and all that,"

"Kyoko was more than happy to act in your stead," Knuckle stated.

Tsuna smiled, "I'm glad she thinks that," she then looked at Giotto in a business-like face. Giotto knew that kind of look means issuing an official command, "Giotto-nii, send a mechanical pigeon message saying that I will fight Natsuki next week on Saturday evening at eight, which will be held at Nami-Private's grounds," she informed.

"But Tsuna, isn't Kyouya going to freak the moment he discovers that Nami-Private will be used again?" G wondered.

Tsuna gave him an all knowing smile, "I already told him, and I promised that I would cover the damages. We have more money than we could spend since that casino got in our hands anyway," she stated.

Lampo slouched at the couch, "Why don't you just deem him worthy and be done with?" he complained. "Instead of this whole thing falling into our hands,"

"Because," Tsuna stated, "Natsuki is weak." She said in a blunt way. All stared at her. They knew that Tsuna had always commented at her twin positively, and a negative remark (excluding his clumsiness) never escapes her lips. "Yes his combat skills are improving, however…he has a weak resolve," she explained while looking at her phone which had her picture with Natsuki as wallpaper, "Since the beginning, Natsuki's resolve was just to protect me. But now that he knew that I know everything concerning his other side, that kind of resolve is worthless."

"And when he finds out you're _Regina_..." Knuckle trailed.

"That resolve will disappear in an instant. And without a resolve, he can't be acknowledged," Ugetsu continued.

Then Daemon frowned, remembering something that is of great importance. "But Hime, with the rate you're going, are you sure that you can do it with your state of…" he was cut off by her fierce shut-up look.

"I know, I know. But that would be a discussion for another day," she said, dismissing him.

"But Tsuna, a week is too early!" Giotto protested. "Daemon is right!"

Tsuna was about to retort when Alaude placed a hand on Giotto's shoulder, saying to shut up and dismiss the talk. "What do you suppose we do then?" Alaude asked.

Tsuna's mind formulated a plan in an instant. An ability that she has always loved, "I have a plan,"

Giotto groaned, "That can't be good," he half joked. "Your plans are _way_ too suicidal, and it's mostly centered on your part of the plan," he said. "Your regard for your life gets down the drain all the time,"

Tsuna huffed, "But it always works out in the end," she defended. Sure her ongoing plan is risky and had been dangerous these past few days, but it had been the only foolproof plan to save both Vongola Nono and Natsuki anyways.

Giotto always had it in him to protest the lethal plans of his cousin, but he couldn't deny that her plans always work despite some drawbacks. "Alright, what's the plan?" he sighed.

Tsuna smiled victoriously before switching to serious mode, "Okay, here's what you have to know…"

…

Natsuki stared at the letter in his hand that he had gotten in his room by that creepy self-destruct pigeon of _Sentinella_. He thought that either Giotto or his friends would tell him, but to receive a direct letter from the infamous _Regina della Sentinella_ is such a shock to him.

Reading its contents with trembling hands, he held the letter which said:

_To Sawada Natsuki,_

_I know that it is a little bit early for me to send you a message like this, considering that Sawada Tsunarumi has just been conscious, but I figured that you need to hear from me right now._

_As you know, you will fight me next week, and I am to announce that I will meet you next week on Saturday at the Namimori Private Academy grounds at eight in the evening. Bring all of your guardians, family and Vongola Nono, in order for me to prove that I am testing you with the best of my judgment that will be confirmed during our fight._

_I will be looking forward into fighting a fellow teenager such as yourself with similar abilities as me._

_Sincerely,_

_Regina della Sentinella_

He read and re-read it over and over again that seemed to have been counted as five times, before he dashed out of his room screaming two names, "Reborn! Dad!"

**The letter of the final trial has reached Natsuki at last! **

**Sorry if this fic took too long to be updated. I kind of had a lot of things on my plate recently, what with school work and requirements and everything that can make you see stars. I don't even know when I will be able to update this, but be patient.**

**REVIEW~!**


	27. My Sister, My Trainer!

**Hey people! Sorry for the slowness of my updates, but I got into a little trouble concerning my report card, and it was not pretty…so I guess until further notice, I will wait for my sentence because of the outcome of my grades, and I bet it's going to involve my precious laptop being away from me. But rest assured, if I can't use my laptop, no one in my family can since I'm the only one who knows my new password! **

**This will just be a half-filler chapter along with the next one that I will be posting soon (I don't know when)**

**Enjoy this for now!**

**Chapter 27 My Sister, My Trainer?!**

Tsuna looked up from the book she was reading at her hospital room when she felt the presence of Reborn. She looked at her window to find the baby hitman standing there. "Why hello Reborn," she greeted with such casualty that Reborn almost believed that she was _way_ too innocent for her own good. But he reminded himself that she was the colleague of the infamous _Sentinella_ leader who had convinced Tsuna to the point of using her as the main bait for the plan that the leader had formulated to confirm some questions in the successions, which was saying something. But he needed her help.

Last night after Natsuki nearly woke up the people in the neighborhood, he had blabbed about the leader and showed them the letter that he got from the pigeon that self-destructed after twenty meters of flying. If he was going to step up his training more, he needed moral help, and he knows that Tsuna was the key for him passing the trial of the masked teenager no older than fifteen and sixteen. For a future boss to lose to a girl was shameful, and he will do everything he can for that to keep from happening, or else the months he has spent training Natsuki will all be wasted because of the judgment of _Regina della Sentinella_.

"When are you going to be discharged?" he asked right away.

Tsuna merely gave him a smile and replied, "I'm getting out in two hours," she informed. "Mom is already taking care of the paperwork downstairs, but I figured you already know that, considering that you live in the same roof as I do,"

Reborn observed the actions of the brunette. Unlike Natsuki who gets surprised every time he steps in without him noticing, she looked completely calm, as if she was used to the room invasion, or that she didn't mind the intrusion at all. It was as if she was not afraid of the baby. He was impressed. "Your friend already sent Natsuki the challenge letter," he informed bluntly.

Tsuna looked at him, her face not faltering. "Hm…it's about time as well," she commented. "It would do Natsuki better if he trains knowing that she has already set the time, date and location so that he wouldn't have to worry about every little thing." She said. "By the way, how _is_ his training?"

"That is the reason why I came to see you today," Reborn said. Something told Tsuna that it would be something that would make Natsuki's life miserable. "Would you like to be my temporary training assistant for your brother?"

She knew the answer to that. Reborn saw a glint in her eyes.

…

Natsuki paced back and forth inside his room. Gokudera and Yamamoto were in his room as well, watching him as he paced absentmindedly. Tsuna was coming home today, and she said over the phone that she has something serious to tell him. For moral support, Gokudera and Yamamoto stormed into the house, wanting to find out what Tsuna is cooking up again. They had learned these past few days to keep an eye out for anything that she does that is suspicious, and her telling something to Natsuki alongside the baby hitman fits the category.

They all heard the door swing open, and the first voice they heard was Nana's, "We're home~" she announced.

The three in the room went out to the doorway to see Nana with Tsuna. Iemitsu had decided to disappear yet again for some formalities back in Italy with the direct order of the Nono who is now staying at a five star hotel in Namimori. Tsuna was glad that the man would be absent in the house for now, and she had decided to come back home after two weeks of being in Giotto's care and the Varia. It really made her miss home for some reason, and also her mother's cooking.

"Nee-san, you're home!" Natsuki said with delight.

Gokudera beamed, "Hime-sama, I'm glad you're alright,"

Yamamoto laughed, "Welcome home Tsuna," he greeted.

Tsuna was happy at their smiles and concern about her. According to Giotto, Natsuki has had no ill-will in finding out that she has been used as the bait in the plan, and she was glad about that. But she wished that what she had planned would make him see things in another view other than his naïve one. She will have time to change that, of course.

"Nice to see you three up and running at this hour," She mused.

"Which means they can help with the baggage," Kyouya's voice said when he entered the house; carrying some groceries that Nana had bought before they went to the hospital to fetch Tsuna.

Natsuki stared at his guardian, half mad and half jealous. "How come you're here?" he demanded.

Kyouya merely looked at him, "I helped out with the grocery," he replied plainly.

"You should try and accept it all the way Natsuki," Reborn said, hopping on Tsuna's shoulder.

Natsuki did not believe this. Reborn was on Tsuna's shoulder? That can't be a good sign, he can tell.

"Haha, Reborn is sitting on Tsuna? That can't be a good sign," Yamamoto voiced out.

Gokudera hit him on the head, "Idiot," he growled.

Tsuna laughed, "If you guys would allow, we need to speak with Natsuki," she asked.

"Of course Hime-sama, take your time!" Gokudera replied jovially.

Kyouya noticed that there was too much crowding than he could handle. "I have to go now. The crowding is increasing," he said as he left the house after he took the bags he was carrying to the kitchen and bid Nana goodbye. Gokudera and Yamamoto went home, seeing that Tsuna wants to talk in private with Reborn and Natsuki. They didn't protest any further about it.

When they got to Natsuki's room, Tsuna sat down on the bed while Reborn was on the window. Natsuki placed himself on his computer's chair.

"So, what do you want to talk about, Nee-san?"

At that moment, Natsuki became irked at the strange smile of his sister. His head was telling him that it could not be good. Tsuna however, thought that what she is about to tell Natsuki would benefit him. "From tomorrow, I will be Reborn's assistant as your trainer," she stated.

There was silence in the room.

Natsuki stared dumbly at what his sister said. "W-What…? Can you repeat that?"

Tsuna sighed at his shock, "To put it in another way, I'm going to assist Reborn in training you,"

That was what he had heard. Never in his wildest dreams did he think that his sister would work alongside his Spartan tutor as his training assistant. This was _really_ not going to be good.

"B-But why?" Natsuki demanded, his eyes going to Reborn who was just smiling—no—smirking.

"Since Tsuna knows some of _Regina_'s fighting skills, it's advantageous that she helps you train to know what will await you when you fight her," he explained.

Tsuna nodded in agreement, her face turning serious, "_Regina_ is a dangerous person to cross, but since you are merely in a trial, she would not be as harsh to you like she is to her enemies. But that doesn't mean that she will go easy on you. She makes trials hard," she warned. "And I absolutely don't want to see you tattered by the time the trial ends." She explained.

Natsuki didn't know if she was praising _Regina_ or warning him right about now. She seemed a little bit too supportive of the _Sentinella _leader than him. He shook that thought out. His Sister Complex was proving to be existent in his system. "But…how would you train me?" he asked something that he knew he shouldn't have.

Tsuna smiled brightly, but he could see the promise of chaos once the training starts for real, "I trained under and with Kyouya, Giotto-nii and the others for the past four years. I have a few things up my sleeves that would ensure that you will get better physically than you are right now," she informed.

Natsuki didn't want to see it somehow…

"Don't worry. You won't be alone in the training though," Reborn said. "Tsuna is also participating, since she just got out of the hospital and needed to get back into shape," he informed.

One look at Tsuna and he knew that she was looking forward to it because she was going to train along with him. Tsuna looked sheepish, "Well, Kyouya did complain that ever since you came and the Council work started, I had to lay low on the training days, and well…he said that it might be a good idea to let you know just how I train so that you could get a little more respect from him as a fighter,"

Natsuki got pissed. "Why does he always have to comment badly on every little thing I do that concerns fighting?!"

Tsuna merely smiled, "Well, it has something to do of your 'herbivorous' traits, as he put it. I didn't really get him, but I guess you could,"

The blond gritted his teeth, "That bastard…" he muttered.

Ignoring his murmured insult, Reborn decided to tell him the schedule, "You start tomorrow after school, and Tsuna will demonstrate her ability." He revealed.

Now that was something that had piqued his interest. Ever since he found out that his sister was involved in the mafia, he had always wondered to what extent her ability is, both intellectual and physical. He has already known about her vast knowledge of the mafia, but to actually fight in a battlefield was unimaginable in his view. Never had he expected that his sister would be trained to fight by the scariest person in the whole of Namimori. "Really?" he asked.

Tsuna merely smiled. She could tell that his brother was itching to find out the things hidden under her sleeves, but she will only allow him to scratch the surface of her secrets. She does not intend to let him know more about the things that she has dug up in the four years of involvement in the mafia under a second identity. It would be too much for him to handle altogether. And some of them could destroy him and his beliefs. "Yup, I got permission from _Regina_ and Kyouya to demonstrate my abilities, but that's it,"

"Uh…okay…" Natsuki could only reply.

…

"What? Hime-sama will be training you after school?" Gokudera said, almost spitting his milk on the cafeteria table. It was not normal for Tsuna to show her abilities to anyone, most especially her twin.

Yamamoto was in shock as well, but he was trying so hard not to get noticed. Ryohei in turn, was rather hyper. "EXTREME! Sawada-chan is going to reveal her EXTREME potential!" he shouted.

"Shut up Turf-Head!" Gokudera shouted in irritation.

Natsuki watched as Gokudera argued with the upperclassman with fire showing on his sea green eyes. It was something that he has gotten used to, but still, it set worry on him every time he thought that Gokudera might actually kill someone with his glare. "A-Ah…Gokudera-kun…calm down," he said.

Fran, who was just watching with his impassive face, looked at his friend, "This is an everyday occurrence in the SC, so don't worry about it too much. Hime-sama strictly said to him not to kill anyone in the school that annoys him," he explained.

Yamamoto, who had gotten out of his shock enough to hear what Fran said, laughed with his usual cheer, "Yeah, Fran is right Natsuki. Though Gokudera is quite the tiger in—"

Before he could even finish his sentence, Gokudera hit him on the head with a tray. "Shut up you idiot! Don't spout that in front of the Tenth!" he lectured.

"What's all the ruckus about?" Giotto appeared at the cafeteria. At that moment, girls of all levels stared in wonder at the handsome President of the Student Council. Natsuki could even see at the corner of his eyes that some were practically drooling and looked like they might praise every step he takes. It was too bad that he was already secretly dating Alaude, much to his shock. It was like finding out Tsuna and Kyouya were together all over again, but this time, the complex was absent. Just pure shock was present.

"Kaichou," they all greeted.

"Nothing's wrong," Natsuki denied.

Giotto didn't even believe that, but he acted like he did. He walked to Natsuki and whispered in his ear, "Good luck with your training with Tsuna today. Make sure to be totally prepared for that though," Natsuki wondered if he should take it as a warning or an advice. Either way, the results of it was the same. He would feel something immense in the negative sense. He just didn't know who would cause it yet.

"Thanks…I guess," he replied.

Giotto laughed, "Don't overdo yourself too much, but knowing Tsuna…she might order you to do just that," he stated. That was something that Natsuki was worried about…

…

Inside the Reception Room, to save some silence, Tsuna decided to eat with Kyouya, something that they had not done for the past few weeks.

"So, are you already prepared for your training with Natsuki?" he asked.

Tsuna chewed on her food before answering, "I'm going to show the two some of my abilities, bit I'll only show some of them." she explained.

Kyouya looked at her observantly. She has already told him of her plan yesterday, and he had approved of the fact that she will be the one to teach a thing or two to her herbivorous twin. It would serve as a reminder on what lengths Tsuna had to go through to get to the kind of level that a teacher would be proud of to his student. "Don't show them your power in full or else it would cause a large controversy," he advised. "You know how tongues wag in the mafia world. It's bad enough with Sawada Natsuki and that Xanxus person," he stated with disdain.

"Lighten up Kyouya," Tsuna said as she leaned her shoulder on him, "I'll be fine. This is just training Natsuki, and it's a good opportunity to get back into shape before next week,"

"Just make sure to be careful, Tsunarumi," Kyouya said eyeing her with concern.

Tsuna merely smiled at it, "I will,"

…

After classes, Tsuna waited for Natsuki's class to dismiss before taking them to Namimori Mountain, the place where they trained during the battle with the Varia. She led them to a remote and dry place where only boulders were present and the surrounding was dry as the desert. Now he was wondering why she brought him here.

"Why are we here in the mountains, Nee-san?" he wondered.

Tsuna looked at Natsuki and Reborn who was sitting on Natsuki's head. "I brought you here to show my abilities, right?" she confirmed before she took out a Desert Eagle gun. Reborn was quite amazed of the gun that she has brought out. He bet he knew what her ability is. "Meet my Desert Eagle," she said as she brandished her orange gun with gold linings. It was something that Natsuki has never seen in his life. "It's just one of the weapons I use, but this is the easiest to use. This has been modified thanks to the help of a friend. It's the same as what the Vongola Settimo used on his time, and what Xanxus uses as well," she informed.

Reborn knew that fact. "Yes, I remember that the Settimo and Xanxus have used guns, but what is the difference in their ability to yours?" he wondered.

Tsuna smiled, "Simple. I have no bullets as a medium. It's purely a gun containing flames," she replied. She then jumped to a tree branch somewhere on the corners of the place, and aimed her gun at the very center of the ground. The two stared in wonder as they saw her gun glow insanely bright orange before she pulled the trigger, and out came an orange beam from the barrel, aimed at the exact spot she has pointed the gun to.

Natsuki and Reborn had to shield their eyes because of the immense light of the action. "What power…" Reborn muttered. He has never seen this kind of power in his life. The light subsided a few seconds later, and when it disappeared completely, they stared in awe. The ground that she had aimed at turned into a twenty-foot crater.

"T-This…" Natsuki stuttered.

"My power, Natsuki," Tsuna said coming down from the tree she was in a moment ago and landed on Natsuki's side. "My gun collects my flames in the barrel, and when I release the flames, they create an immense beam of flames that is set to destroy anything in its wake," she explained. "At times, I couldn't even control the immense power, especially when I am annoyed or distracted. If I do either of those, well, you could expect that people would think that World War III is starting in Japan."

Reborn's brows met. He was still wondering what kind of power this girl has inside of her, and he could tell that she is more powerful than Natsuki. There was something about Tsuna that made him want to dig deeper into her layers of secrets, and he could expect that it would not be an easy task unless she was under hypnosis. Clearly that was out of the question in his case. Digging deep on the secrets that binds her to the _Sentinella _leader could prove to be a dangerous task, even for him. They gather all the knowledge in the world for their benefit, and they suppress knowledge about them and what they know. Their ability to do so only sends the warning bells to a very dangerous profession. It was like the USA versus Russia in the Cold War once again, and Tsuna was USA.

"You are quite powerful Tsuna, I can tell you that," he stated. "But how did you have that kind of power in the span of four years?" Reborn really wanted to know, even the simplest of reasons. It might help him uncover her abilities more; even just a scratch would be enough to go on.

Tsuna didn't look too hostile with the information as she took her gun back, "Well…I met _Regina_ three years ago, and then she started to teach me how to manipulate my hidden skills. Since I already mastered the combat skills from Kyouya a year before, it was time for me to learn the ways of my Italian heritage, as she put it. I didn't really get it at first, and the first few weeks of my training consisted of me getting shot by some bullet that leaves me with my underwear," she informed.

Her younger twin knew what that is. It was the Dying Will Bullet. He has had some embarrassing moments at school back in Italy as well when he first got Reborn as his tutor, and he could tell from his personal experience that Tsuna might have been embarrassed. "I get what you mean. Reborn had hit me with the same bullets a few months back. It was not a good experience…" he stated.

"Yeah, but she always does it in a closed space, so I would be fine. And I had a tank top and skirt shorts at all times, which helps a lot since it is considered as underwear," she informed as not to make him think that the girl she is respecting would be quite the sadist as to let her run around with undergarments that should not be seen by the other gender. It would be a nightmare, unlike Natsuki who was known to run around in his boxers. A girl in undergarments is worse than a boy in boxers, baby-caused or not. "Well now, back stories aside, shall we get down?" she offered.

Natsuki was about to ask what she meant when she slid down the crater towards the bottom with her still standing and her feet merely guiding her whole body down without even breaking a sweat. She was sliding like she was on a skateboard or something, whatever he imagines. When she got down, she waved up, "Come on down! If you don't get here in fifteen seconds you're on your own!" she shouted.

Before Natsuki could even follow her, Reborn got down on the ground and kicked him off balance without warning, "Baka, listen to what she says," he said in between the procedure.

Natsuki had fell face down on the ground. Tsuna sighed as she shook her head in exasperation. "What has that Cavallone boss been teaching you concerning your physical abilities?" she asked to no one in particular.

"Obviously Stupidity 101," Giotto's voice said as he descended to the large crater. He was in his black shirt, white pants and black sneakers. He looked like any other teenagers in Namimori, but Natsuki knows that he is the adviser of _Regina_, and it would be possible that he was the second most dangerous teenager the organization has next to the said leader. But he was rather harsh in his words right now. Just a few hours ago, he was the kindest person in the school. "According to Fuuta, Dino is the clumsiest boss in the world next to the Tomaso boss. It could only mean that he has grasped his clumsiness." He then looked at Tsuna's direction, "It seems that the two of you are switching personalities. From Dame-Tsuna to Dame-Natsuki,"

Natsuki bore holes at his cousin by glaring at him from head to toe. He doesn't care if his fangirls will kill him if he kills Giotto. To be called useless, that was a harsh insult. He grumbled as he stood up and brushed the dirt on his clothes.

Tsuna gave Giotto a reprimanding look. "Gio-nii, stop the comparing. I thought you have a date today?" she asked.

Natsuki was about to ask who was the girl, but then he remembered that he was dating a _man_, and not just any man, but the older twin of the Head Prefect/Devil Incarnate. What Giotto saw in Alaude, he would never know, nor have the interest of knowing.

"Well, Alaude cancelled it. He had some things going on with Kyouya, something concerning the Cavallone Decimo, and Kyouya escaping his vicinity by the use of Alaude because a certain idiot boss decided to gather his one hundred plus men, and you know how Kyouya is. I think you get what I mean," he explained with annoyance and disappointment. Tsuna knew that it was the first time Alaude had cancelled a planned date, and it was annoying him in the first thirty minutes. Alaude better get a good make-up present for him later on.

But her mind trailed on Kyouya whose hives were acting up again. It was dangerous and gross business, if you count a red puffy prefect sitting on his bed with a good book and resisting the urge to scratch the hives until the healing cream does its job. Over one hundred peering men was the last straw for his hives to go into overdrive. Kyouya will beat the crap out of him quite soon. "I'll visit him after training Natsuki," she decided.

On the other hand, the ignored blond staring at them became rather curious about how bad the hives are doing to the prefect. Oh he loved to see his face all red and puffy, but he knew that he would be dead after the first five seconds, so he just resorted into imagining him like that. It was enough bliss for him to hear that the Sister Taker was having allergies because of crowding.

Tsuna then turned her eyes to him, and he cowered inside by how stern her look is. He had never seen her as a pure disciplinarian before. Sometimes he thinks that his sister has Split Personality Disease. "Now Natsuki, training comes with a warm-up," she went close to the center of the crater, in front of two large boulders. She touched one of them and a sinister smirk brandished her face. "We start by jogging fifty rounds carrying this around the crater," she declared.

Right now, there was one thing on Natsuki's mind. _'I'm screwed…'_

**Well…that didn't go too well…did I interest you to Tsuna's abilities? **

**REVIEW!**


	28. Knowing What You Lack

**It has been quite a week for me, and I'm so beat up. I'm trying to search for non-fiction books about Jack the Ripper on the net, since I used him as a subject for my Library paper (if my teacher doesn't reject it of course) and so, I found a good excuse to use the net! It's been a while, and I don't think I've proofread it enough, oh well. **

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 28 Knowing What You Lack**

"Put your back at it Natsuki!" Tsuna ordered sternly, her eyes glowering at his very being as she sat on the large boulder she had carried on her back a few minutes ago with Reborn on her shoulder. Her arms were crossed around her chest. At the foot of it was Giotto who was watching the boy in sheer amusement, as if he was taking pleasure in seeing Natsuki suffer. It was not like the training Kyouya placed under Tsuna. That was more of a beginner's training, but doing this as a beginner's exercise for a mafia boss to-be? He should have more strength after putting up with a baby in a suit.

Natsuki was still carrying the large boulder like an enlarged backpack on his back. Tsuna had ordered him to run around the crater fifty times with that thing at his back. Tsuna had run with him, but she finished hers ten laps earlier, and thus, she was just sitting around waiting for her twin to finish.

"You still have twenty more to do," Reborn stated.

"How is this called training?" he complained.

It was when Reborn and Tsuna took out their guns. Tsuna started to load her gun with orange flames, planning to shoot fireballs at him, "Less talking more running!" she scolded as their guns aimed at him.

Natsuki could only scream and hasten his pace. He really doesn't want to be killed in training. It would be a shameful death. This was not his day. He thought that with his sister around, he could take it easy, but woe, was he wrong. Tsuna proved to be one of the most dangerous trainers there is, right next to Reborn, Kyouya and Lal Mirch, a member of CEDEF. He wonders if this was the type of training she has experienced at the hands of Kyouya four years ago, and at the hands of _Regina_. "This is not happening to me…" he muttered.

Tsuna heard him, "Well it is, how finish the course or I'll shoot you to death!" the blond freaked out the moment his sister sounded like the head prefect and continued his run. In his head, he was praying for his life. He could see it in his head that if he fails training, Tsuna and Reborn will be boring holes in his body as much as they like.

Tsuna was a bit disappointed that Natsuki was taking this the negative way. With that kind of attitude, he would progress slowly than what she and Reborn expects of him by the time the week was over. And she can't have that. She will have to do in with the cruelty for a while to get some sense into him so that he could get the message she wanted him to understand completely. It was something that she will not stand for.

Half an hour later, he had finished his fiftieth lap. Natsuki panted hard as he tried to regain his breath. "That was the worst…"

Tsuna jumped down off the boulder and walked towards Natsuki who was kneeling down. She knelt down as well and looked at Natsuki in the eye. The younger twin, on the other hand, looked as if he was anticipating some sort of punishment, but none came.

"Natsuki," she started, "Why do you fight?" she wondered.

"Huh?" he replied.

Tsuna sighed, "I said, _why_ do you fight? Why do you insist on becoming the Decimo?" she pressed. "I don't know what _Regina_ told you that made you a little off these days, but that has got to stop now," she lied about not knowing that she would become the replacement should Natsuki fail, but there was no point in rubbing it in to Natsuki, and she had to maintain her cluelessness of her being the next in line should he _really_ fail.

"I…" he muttered. He then heaved a sigh and looked at Tsuna in the eyes, "I wanted to fight for the title to keep it from you to protect you," he admitted. "Dad had planned to make me the Decimo, but when I was brought to Italy the first time, they said that if I refuse, you would go in my stead. I didn't want you to get involved with the mafia…so I took it…but I didn't know Xanxus would try to stake his claim after he was well…you know…thawed from his ice prison a few months ago."

Tsuna smiled weakly, "But Natsuki…you saw how I am today. I can fight on my own," she reasoned.

Natsuki only shook his head, "I still want to protect you! It's all I've ever worked for, to get you out of the mafia's connections, and if I have to, I will have to ask you to cut off your connections with that leader," he reasoned.

Hearing his statement, Tsuna could only frown slightly. "Cut off everyone, even _Regina_? Natsuki, this is too much to ask of me," she reasoned out.

"If that's what it takes…" he said.

Tsuna shook his head and stood up, "Natsuki, before you can assume that, remember that the people you spoke about have changed my life for the better. It's hard to let go." She explained. "As for your resolve…it lacks something, and you will have to find that out on your own," she said as she turned to leave, "My training session with you for today is over. Reborn will take over," she stated.

Natsuki looked at his sister in shock, "But…Nee-san…"

Tsuna turned back once, "My training with you is not physical, but mental. I will give you the remaining time and days to think about what I said to you, especially your way of fighting. Judging from the training that you had done, I have to give you a reality check. That is my way of training," she then turned to Giotto, "Let's go," she said.

Giotto merely nodded before he wrapped his arm around her waist, and Tsuna's arm was around his neck in support as the older blond jumped high that it took them off of the crater. Tsuna is still in no shape to jump that high, so Giotto had to propel her.

Giotto and Tsuna walked along the mountain on their way out. When they had reached the bottom of the mountain, Giotto asked Tsuna, "Tsuna, can I ask, why did you tell Natsuki of the consequence that you will be next in line if Natsuki fails?" he wondered.

He could tell that Tsuna stiffened for a while. There was something wrong with Tsuna these days the moment she had declared that kind of thing a few nights ago. He was as surprised as the others are when Kyoko had acted upon Tsuna's orders to say that kind of statement to the others. Even their cousins were a little bit shocked, since they knew that Tsuna had never set her eyes on the Vongola title before.

"Just go with the flow, Gio-nii. Just go with the flow," she merely replied. All the way to the base, she was quiet, deep in thought, the way Giotto always sees her when she is planning something that she keeps to herself.

Tsuna had always been too secretive, be it personally or professionally. It was not good when she doesn't consult her problems to anyone but her. The last time she did that was when she allowed herself to get captured, and they had to find out for themselves on what she was really planning in the depths of the agenda. They didn't even know that she was inside the large hunk of junk until Irie had scanned the inside of it.

They had all concluded that Tsuna had really planned everything from the start, but she was only releasing limited information, like the one about Natsuki's final trial. They were only briefed what they _needed_ to know, not _everything _in the plan. She would always have a different agenda that she herself, only knows. It was always that way that they had find in her quite troublesome, but they had to hand it to her, she does her job pretty well on that note. Bermuda had always praised her for that trait, but it was all too troublesome.

He sighed in resignation, "I hope what you're thinking of is not going to get you into any more trouble Tsuna," he warned.

Tsuna smiled, "You don't know me at all if you think I wouldn't get you guys into ones,"

…

Natsuki sat at the ground dejectedly after watching his sister leave. What does she mean that he had a weak resolve? Is protecting her not enough for a resolve? After all, he has fought for her sake for a long time. What could be lacking?

Reborn looked at his student with disappointment. Tsuna was right about his resolve, but did she have to break him like this? Maybe, but not in a way that he would question his own resolve so instantly…he had thought of breaking it to him for a while, but he held his ground the moment Tsuna had been kidnapped by the Varia. He had thought to use that resolve to get the title of the Decimo, as he had been aiming at for his student to achieve for the good of Vongola. Now his student was in turmoil. He had to figure out a plan to take him back on his feet.

"Why would Nee-san say that to me…?" he mumbled. "She sounded so…so…disappointed at me…" he had never seen his sister look disappointed, and that hurt. Back when they were kids, she would always look up to her little brother for being there for her, but now, the unmonitored exposure to the mafia world made her different. Sure, she had grown more responsible and can stand on her own, but he still missed the girl that he had known to be his sister.

Reborn understood the turmoil in his face, but he had to keep it together. "There's a reason why she is acting that way towards you," he stated.

Natsuki looked at Reborn, wanting to find out the reason for the sudden coldness of his sister. "What?"

"Your resolve." He said. "She wanted to find out the extent of your resolve,"

"How?"

Reborn shook his head, and Natsuki dreaded his next words, "You have to find that out for yourself." That was always the response of everyone around him, and he hated it. But he can't deny the fact that they were right, especially Tsuna, who had started that phrase.

"Why do I always have to hear that phrase?" he complained.

"It's a way for you to find things out without spoon feeding you. It's not befitting for a mafia boss to ask away all of his curiosity instead of finding out a way to find it for him. That's not how things work, and I bet Tsuna knows that also," Reborn explained.

Natsuki only frowned and looked away from his tutor. He really didn't need another lecture, but he knew he deserved it. What wonders him is why the hell did Tsuna wanted him to carry a large boulder and run fifty laps just to lecture and warn him before leaving after saying that she will train him mentally? That was not something he had wanted or expected. Since this morning, he has been waiting to show his sister just how strong he was, but that only came out in the physical sense. She had paid attention to his mental state and resolve, a thing that he has always been caught off guard, even by Reborn. Sure his intuition is dormant, and his father had told him once before that he was just a late bloomer, but he didn't believe a word of it. He was not an idiot to think that way. He faced the fact that his intuition will not be awakened.

He only wanted to protect Tsuna even if she thinks she doesn't need it. What was the thing that he lacked then?

…

After narrating the events of yesterday to Fran, Gokudera and Yamamoto, Natsuki looked a lot worse with his worry lines and his appearing eye bags. He couldn't say that he failed in front of his sister without even knowing it without frowning considerably.

Just this morning, Tsuna had gone on her usual routine in cooking breakfast before leaving first for school. She left no kind of note and no signs of explanation on why she had acted that way at the crater area. He figured that this was her way in buying him time to see what his primary problem is.

Fran whistled, "That's so like Hime-sama," he commented.

Yamamoto looked at him with sympathy. He has once seen those eyes on Tsuna once before, even the others had seen her disappointed face once in their lives. Usually it was from misbehaving and almost failed missions. "Tsuna is always like that Natsuki, don't worry too much," he comforted.

"Hibari had taught her how to become a good mentor, and she is always excelling on the mental category," Gokudera explained, "Hime-sama would not tell you that unless she discovers that something is missing from your entire being, and I can say that Hime-sama is always right on the mark,"

"How can you tell?" Natsuki asked.

Gokudera understood that he needed to know more about his sister, but not too much. "Because Hime-sama has a knack to see right through anyone she knew and attached to her. I can even say that Hibari can be a little transparent around her. She can sense something wrong a mile away." He informed.

"What if I fail her expectations then? What if that is the reason of me failing my last trial?" he asked again.

Gokudera smiled in understanding, "That is up to you," he replied. "But always remember the things and the people who are important to you."

"Though we would be crushed if we don't exceed her expectations anyway, and it would be devastating on anyone's part," Yamamoto added.

Gokudera hit him upside the head, "Shut up idiot." he turned back to Natsuki, "The fact is, Tenth, we would always be by your side even if you don't become the Decimo. We owe you that much for trusting us, and accepting us in your family," he explained.

"And tolerating our behaviors, might I add," Fran added.

"No one asked you apple head," Gokudera growled.

Fran then hid behind Natsuki for protection from the deadly glare of the silver haired teen, "Help…" he said in his usual deadpanned voice and bored expression.

Natsuki chuckled. When he looked at the other two, he was quite surprised to see the two of them smiling back at him, "You finally smiled," Yamamoto said.

"Huh?" Natsuki tilted his head curiously.

Fran went out of his 'Natsuki Shield' and explained, "You've been awfully gloomy since this morning, so we got a little worried that you might be possessed, or, as Octopus Head-san had put it, replaced by aliens," he commented.

Gokudera blushed slightly, "I did not say such a thing!" he denied.

Yamamoto wrapped his arm around his shoulder, "Come on, you're always denying what you say. Remember when you thought that a friend of ours is a UMA?" Gokudera growled remembering that misconception.

Natsuki then realized something. Throughout the morning, Fran had been constantly looking at him with worry in his eyes even though his face was always passive. Maybe he had relayed this information through his cell phone that he always pays attention to instead of paying attention to the teacher. Then from the moment Gokudera and Yamamoto met him outside his room, he had been hearing them bickering until they had reached the cafeteria.

They were worried about him.

That was bad for his ego, since he has always been used to worry about someone instead of someone worrying about him constantly. He had only experienced that from Nana, but since she was a mother, it didn't count. Tsuna was the first person he has always been worried about, and everything had rooted from that time that made him worry about everything and everyone around him. From her, he had sworn to protect everyone around him that is precious.

Then it struck him. He now knew. Was this the reason for his sister's sudden statement of his resolve as weak? But if it's not the case, at least he had a hint.

He then stood up from the table and looked at his friends with a smile, "Thanks for cheering me up guys. I have to go and see Nee-san though," he said as he ran out.

"North Wing Rooftop, Natsuki!" Fran shouted loud enough for Natsuki to hear.

When he was out of the vicinity, Fran smirked, "Well, that took a while,"

"Natsuki is used to protecting someone, so when it dawned on him that the person he has been mainly protecting can fend for herself, he went for the bigger picture," Yamamoto reasoned.

Gokudera looked at his boyfriend in amusement, "Seems like you're learning something from me after all," he mused.

Yamamoto released his bright smile, "It's because I have a good teacher,"

One way led to another with Gokudera shouting at his stupidity and the said boy merely smiled as he watched his silver haired lover lecture him. Fran was feeling quite out of place so he decided to leave silently without the two ever noticing that he was gone from their midst. If he sticks with them too long, it would cost him his sexuality. Maybe even with that knife weirdo…_ 'No! There will be none of that on my watch…'_ he stopped himself from thinking.

…

Natsuki followed Fran's instruction and went to the North Wing Rooftop. He had to talk to his sister right now about what she has been trying to tell him. Maybe it would serve as a good hint should he get it wrong on the first try.

Before he could even reach the doorknob, he heard the voices of Tsuna and Kyouya.

"Is he ready for next week, Tsunarumi?" Kyouya wondered.

When Natsuki took a peek, he saw that Tsuna was being used as a lap pillow. "I don't know for sure, Kyouya," she replied. "It is him who can tell. Tutors can only expect the best and the worst outcome of every student's growth. In the end, the student is always the one improving,"

Kyouya yawned, "You learn too much from me, Tsunarumi,"

Tsuna played with his black locks, as if she was lulling him to sleep. "You insisted it in the first place anyway," she smiled, "And I have no doubt in my mind that Natsuki will succeed in his final trial,"

"Too much trust can kill you," Kyouya advised.

"It's not trust. It's belief," she replied. "Now are you going to sleep or not? Because if not, I'm going to head back to the SC office," she informed.

Kyouya gave her a scowl, "Since when did I allow my lap pillow to leave without my consent?" he asked.

"Never?" she guessed.

"Correct. Now just sit there and do what I want you to do. Unless you want to do something else entirely, like training again after three weeks of not doing so," he stated.

Tsuna laughed, "We can resume the training after the whole matter is settled," she bargained.

"Fine,"

Natsuki left them at that scene, his mind reeling on the kind of expectation that Tsuna anticipates in him. Even Reborn and the others expected that of him. Why do they have to expect that much?

'_Because you're the Vongola heir you idiot,'_ his inside voice murmured. If this was the kind of pressure the two alternate Tsunas had experienced, then he was on the right track. All he had to do now is to train under Reborn and find out the things that Tsuna had said that he lacked. And he had a good idea that it had to start with his resolve. He had to figure this out one way or another.

And he will not stop until he finds that out.

**Okay! So, did you guys like it?**

**Next chapter, the final trial begins!**

**REVIEW~!**


	29. Starting Point

**Okay! New chapter everyone! I'm getting way ahead of updating, but this might be the only time this week that I will ever be able to have internet connection. I just can't stand it! **

**This chapter will be the starting point to the finale! **

**Enjoy~!**

**Chapter 29 Starting Point**

It has been a week since the letter was sent. The final battle was tonight. There was so much to do, so little time.

_Sentinella_ had been preparing for this day ever since Tsuna had laid out her plan to them. All were in frenzy as they had worked on the security measures, with Daemon's Illusion Squad training to cast a good illusion to conceal the fight in the grounds of the school. As for the rest, things were quite abysmal.

G was trying to estimate what kind of damage the fight would inflict and the cost of the repairs as not to piss off the younger Hibari twin. Knuckle was training the medics should anything bad happen after the trial, like extreme blood loss, unconsciousness, etc. Lampo was absent at the moment because Lambo was still at the hospital, recovering still from the severe damage of the red lightning on him. Giotto was taking over Tsuna's normal files for a while, organizing everything that she has left on his desk, right before the Varia had arrived. Ugetsu tried to help by bringing them food and drinks every half hour while helping out in the kitchen just in case they get hungry and allow themselves to pass a meal, and he wouldn't even dare them to drop meals, ever. The last time that happened, there had been a black-out catastrophe. He was greatly assisted by Spanner's mini Mosca. Alaude, in turn, had been training all of the security people of the organization to watch over any trespassers who had good senses and stop them before they discover the danger that will unfold in the arena, and also to keep the spectators safe from it.

Irie on the other hand, was trying to get all of the security in the school blocked for tonight, so that the school cameras will not catch any of the scenes that will take place. Spanner was helping him out to get all of the things done in time. With Irie's constant stomachaches, he needed all the help he could get, and Spanner seemed to be the one he is looking for.

A lot of them had been on the edge after last night's meeting. Tsuna had been there, and as not to get caught by Reborn, Tsuna excused herself to go to Giotto's place again for some last-minute council work, when in truth they went to the secret passage towards the main headquarters of _Sentinella_.

They can still remember the declaration of Tsuna the night before.

"_I'm going to have to show myself in front of Natsuki tomorrow night," she declared._

_All of them looked at their leader with shocked eyes, "But Hime, isn't that a little too reckless?" Daemon wondered. _

"_I know it is," she said, "But it has to be this way if Natsuki wants to pass. He has to learn the truth and to know in experience what to do once he comes against someone close to him. That person is me," she explained. _

_G huffed, "I'm not buying it one bit Hime," he complained. _

"_I agree with G," said Ugetsu, "The Vongola would take things the wrong way," _

"_Then we will just have to correct them after the match," Tsuna defended. "There is no other way to purge out what Natsuki lacks unless I do that, and devise a threat," _

_Giotto looked at her, "What threat?" _

_Tsuna closed her eyes and sighed, "A threat to get something out of him. I believe I will have to ask your permission of something," she said._

_The moment they heard Tsuna's permission, none of them could move an inch. They had never thought that their leader was capable of such sacrifice. But they knew that it had to be done. They cannot afford the boy failing the trial, or else, there will be chaos of sorts. It was something they had to avoid at all costs. They were left with a choice. Agree for the little stunt to be done, or lose a good leader to the Vongola? Clearly the second option was a no. _

_They all looked at each other, then to Tsuna. The brunette saw the approval of the seven of them, and she smiled in thanks. _

To say that the meeting last night was hard was an understatement. After the meeting, she had placed all of them to work. Too much work, might they add, but if it's necessary, it had to be done.

…

Tonfas and gauntlets clashed in the training room of _Sentinella_, neither side backing down even once. Both of them knew that if they hold back, they would end up being injured by the other. That was a big no on either side as well.

Tsuna panted as she made a fist and propelled herself towards the prefect in tonfas with her other hand and released massive flames out of it. Kyouya was ready for the assault and he had to lower his head to miss the punch, making Tsuna fly across the room instead into the wall, but not before flipping so that her feet meet the wall before using it to catapult herself towards the prefect again in full throttle. This time, Kyouya knew that she would not miss, and used his left tonfa to block her punch of sky flames.

He kicked her in the stomach and sent her flying to the wall and crashed into process. But suddenly, her form crumbled to dust, and he knew then and there that she was an illusion. Looking up, he saw her manipulating her flames like spirit balls of fire. She produced about twenty-five balls and floated around her like how electrons move about the nucleus of an atom, with Tsuna being the nucleus.

Her eyes looked impassive, and sent the balls towards Kyouya in a trail. It surrounded him slowly like hoops, closing around him. As they did, the balls were merging one by one as they got close to the prefect until there were only six large human sized balls. Suddenly, it got mixed up with indigo flames. Mist flames, to be exact. Each took the form of Tsuna in her current clothing, black tank top, camouflage pants rubber tucked in combat boots.

All of them went for Kyouya, but the prefect was just a little too strong for Tsuna's liking. Knowing that they were mixed with the real Tsuna who had disappeared from above him the moment he got distracted in seeing her replicas, and he could tell that she has joined in the mix. He scowled, "I told you I _hate_ illusions," he said as he attacked all of them with his welcoming tonfas. He hit one of them square in the head with his tonfa, then the other by the stomach, face, back, tripped one of them, and dismounted the one who crept behind him in a struggle. Until one remained, in a battle stance.

"Tricks won't work on me, Tsunarumi," he lectured.

Tsuna smiled, "How did you know which is which?" she wondered.

Kyouya pointed at the combat boots she was wearing, and Tsuna saw a nick on it instigated by his spiked tonfa from earlier when he had used it against her before hiding it again, "I expected you to use illusions to make me off guard, but you didn't notice the nick on your boots. That alone proves that you are the real Tsunarumi,"

"Great…" she muttered.

Before she could look back, Kyouya hit her in the stomach with his elbow off guard. She slammed to the ground for real this time. Groaning, she stood up and took out her gun from her belt and shot a ray of sky flames on him. Knowing that it would not miss, he dodged it immediately, but Tsuna had other plans. As she shot her ray of flames, she didn't let him see that she was also doing something else.

The moment Kyouya dodged it by moving to the right in a split second; he saw small black balls rolling towards him. It took a millisecond for them to explode and created black smoke. She had thrown smoke bombs. Looking up, Tsuna was there with another weapon in her hands. A sniper's rifle was on her hand, her eyes on the telescope locking her target. The moment the rifle glowed bright orange, she pulled the trigger and out came shots of small pellet sized sky flames endlessly aiming at Kyouya. The prefect didn't stand in stupidity. He knew that Tsuna would do her best to hit him with the rifle, and he disappeared in a split second from view, making the brunette wonder where the prefect had gone. The assault of the rifle ceased as the brunette looked around for a sign of him. Unfortunately, there was none.

Tsuna cursed under her breath knowing that he was hiding his presence very well, making it hard, even for her, to find out his location. "Dammit…" she muttered under hear breath as she landed on the floor, only to be toppled by a black blur, her grip on her rifle was gone as it slid towards the wall.

Tsuna came face to face with the serious face of the prefect, pinning her wrists down with one hand, and a tonfa on the other, aimed at her neck. Kyouya smirked, "I win," he said triumphantly.

Tsuna huffed in annoyance. If only she had not been out of shape these past three weeks, she would have still the chance to beat her boyfriend on a regular basis, "Fine." She said in finality before the prefect released her.

Kyouya helped her up and looked at her sternly, "You are badly out of shape, Tsunarumi, but be thankful that you are not going to go all out for tonight," he said. "And didn't I say no illusions allowed?"

"Kyouya, that is essential for any fighter. You have to use every resource you got in order to win. And what is this about not going all out tonight?" she wondered.

Kyouya peered at her, "It means that you are not allowed to strain yourself in your fight with your herbivore of a brother." he declared. "You know your limits, and yet you disregard it when something hits your mind,"

Tsuna pouted, "Since when did I take orders from you, Kyouya?"

Kyouya's eyes narrowed which made her flinch a little bit, like the days when she was still learning the ropes, "Since you decided to use yourself as a battery of a humanoid, and had gotten hospitalized." He answered, "Your body is still weak from the absorption of your flames, and it could endanger you. You know that yourself," he lectured.

Tsuna merely huffed indignantly and crossed her arms around her chest, "You always see right through me…" she grumbled.

Kyouya smiled lightly and poked her in the forehead, "Because I can always read you," he said. That made Tsuna smile gently.

The training room's metal door slid open revealing a boy with spiky white hair and purple eyes in a white parka and brown cargo shorts and sandals. "Hey Tsu-chan~!" he greeted.

The room dropped several degrees, and Tsuna looked at Kyouya who was restraining himself from introducing his tonfas to the boy's face. Byakuran sensed this and held up his hands in surrender, "Don't look at me like that Hibari-kun! I came here in peace, plus, I have some very valuable information to give to Tsu-chan. Do you mind?" he asked.

Kyouya was about to protest, but he knew that Tsuna had been expecting him. There were top secret things that cannot be told to him by Tsuna anymore, and after tonight, he will be unable to be by her side anymore on missions concerning _Sentinella_. He gave her his approval glance before she smiled and went to Byakuran, but the prefect was watching the white haired teen's actions.

"So, what have you got for me?" she asked.

Byakuran smiled, "Something that would be quite interesting for you to know," he replied, "But this matter is clearly an S-classed secret…so Hibari-kun…do you mind?"

Kyouya grunted, "If you lay a hand on her, I won't hesitate to bite you to death," he said in finality as he went on the other exit.

…

They arrived at Tsuna's office at the very bottom of the base, about fifty feet underground. Her office had a nice feel to it, like a normal CEO's room, but instead of a large window overlooking the city; it was replaced by numerous surveillance videos all over the base.

Sitting on her L-shaped desk, she motioned Byakuran to sit on the long maroon couch in the middle of the room. "So, what do you want to talk about?" she asked.

Byakuran smiled foxily, choosing to change the subject for a while. "I'm pretty amazed by the action you had taken these past few weeks. I'm impressed," he said, "You are quite different from the other Tsunas in parallel worlds."

Tsuna leaned on her swivel chair, "Well, as you always say, parallel worlds are completely different from each other," she replied, "But praising me for my feat is not the only reason for your personal arrival, now, is it?"

"Sharp as ever I see." He then tried to make himself comfortable, "You had such a bright future right now, Tsu-chan," he informed. "In fact, very bright, but it would also earn you a lot of enemies in the future,"

"Enemies can be retaliated, or can be convinced to see our way. I don't think I will have problems concerning that," she explained.

Byakuran kept on, as if expecting that that was her main idea. "True. But you would find it hard to retaliate from the ghosts of the past…"

Tsuna laughed at that, her eyes tingling with amusement, "I have already turned my back on the ghosts of my past. True it would be a troublesome affair if they come to bite me in the back, but I assure you that I can take care of it," she assured. "Besides, I would never exchange _Sentinella_, ever. As the Twentieth _Regina della Sentinella_, I would never turn my back on it,"

Byakuran, satisfied with her answer, smiled, "Speaking of the past, I believe the Nineteenth, Anna-san will be watching tonight," he said, mentioning the former leader, and was also Tsuna's mentor on flame manipulation.

"Of course she will. It's not every generation we are asked to become the judges of a mafia family's succession trials. She has taken care of three of them during her time," she answered. Right now, Tsuna was getting impatient of the small talk, "So, can we cut to the chase?"

Byakuran nodded. "Are you really sure you want Natsuki to be the Decimo?" he asked, "I mean, sure the Ninth had chosen him in agreement with your father, but you have a lot of potential befitting a boss,"

"Byakuran," Tsuna said with her voice stern, "You and I both know that if I leave _Sentinella_, it would be too much to handle. If I accepted the title, then what does that make Natsuki? What will his chosen guardians do? You said it yourself. No one can predict the other worlds. I don't want to mess up this world just because of my knowledge that I had his place in other worlds. And besides, there is one fact that exists here that does not in other worlds concerning _Sentinella._"

"That's right. The former _Regina della Sentinella_ is someone too close to you, and it would break her heart if you leave the place she has given you," Byakuran said.

"And I respect the Ninth's decision. It would be troublesome if I staked my claim. The Varia is enough of a nuisance for that. I want my brother to take over the Vongola to ensure its survival; however, he still has a lot to learn,"

"That's Reborn-kun's job anyways, right?"

"Correct," Tsuna said. "Are you going to stay long for the fight?"

Byakuran grinned, "I wouldn't miss it for the world, though you should box me with the Nineteenth. It won't do well if the Cavallone boss sees me associated with you guys quite early in the event,"

"Front row seats wouldn't hurt you?" she asked.

"Oh I'd enjoy it very well, and with Anna-san with me, it would be a good experience, and an honor, to talk to her without the cover," he said with anticipation.

Tsuna smiled, "I'm glad you think so,"

Byakuran leaned on his seat. "By the way, are you sure you are up for this? Your recovery rate is not what we had expected at all." He informed. "Even Giotto-kun is in a frenzy thinking about it."

Tsuna frowned, not liking the topic, but she knew she couldn't avoid it all the time. "I'll just have to wing it. It's the only way." She answered.

The white haired boy was not satisfied with her answer though, "Look Tsu-chan, if anything bad happens, we're dead meat,"

"You'll just have to endure it,"

"Meanie,"

"Thank you for the compliment."

…

A black limousine parked in front of the destination school and out came Iemitsu in a suit, followed by Dino and Timoteo. Romario brought out the wheelchair and the old man sat there as he allowed Iemitsu to push. As they had neared the vicinity, they couldn't help but feel some sort of hostility around the place. It didn't feel like a school at all at night. Maybe it had something to do with _Sentinella_ meddling to get their hands on the school for the night.

"A very important night it is tonight…" Timoteo muttered.

Dino nodded in agreement, "Tonight, _Regina_ will determine if Natsuki is worthy or not," he replied.

"And if he fails…" Iemitsu didn't even want to continue.

"Then someone else will become the new Decimo," a new voice said.

At the entrance, Giotto stood to meet them. He was clad in his black suit with white pinstripes, complimented with a black tie, and a pocket watch was on the breast pocket. Gone were his jolly eyes, as they were replaced by a stoic look, "Tsuna has anticipated that you would be the first people to arrive," he mentioned.

"And why is that?" Dino wondered.

Giotto's face didn't falter, "Because she was the one who took care of the arrangements." He replied, "Now, if you follow me, I will lead you to the viewing room. The trial will be quite dangerous if you are ever too close, so we had arranged one of the rooms to be modified to keep the people safe inside it," he said.

Giotto led them to one of the classrooms right beside the grounds of the school. When he opened the door, the desks were gone and were replaced with viewing chairs and television to get a good close-up on the match.

"Where's Tsuna in all of this?" Iemitsu asked as he pushed the old man's wheelchair.

Giotto closed the door, a stern face on his face, "After about five years, your attention is finally diverted to your daughter because of a stunt, I see," he said.

Iemitsu knew what he was implying, and glared at the sixteen year-old. "What?"

Giotto started to prepare coffee on one side of the room. He set up four cups as he began to talk, "Four years ago, Tsuna was almost abducted by an enemy family because of a small leak." He said calmly, but he could tell that tension was getting higher, "She was rescued by her boyfriend, who was then her trainer for fighting before they could carry her away. And then a year later, the same happened, only to be rescued by Gokudera Hayato. But at that time, she already has knowledge of the mafia because I and her childhood friends before she was twelve, had been informants of sorts in the mafia world, and it is because of our ancestry's connections. She then became one of the first confidants of the Twentieth _Regina della Sentinella_,we became her agents, and Tsuna had become one of the students of the Nineteenth soon after discovering her abilities, and at the same time, she is not a member,"

"What are you implying?" Dino demanded.

Giotto filled the cups with coffee before he faced them, "I'm saying that, while this is all happening to her, where was the father that she had looked for?" he asked. "Nowhere to be found, that's it, and now, you are looking out for her well-being?" Iemitsu made a fist. Giotto noticed this, "Well, let's just say that you failed in that department, Iemitsu-jiisan," he informed. "We have been looking out for Tsuna for the past five years that you and Natsuki were gone. But we are all surprised when she didn't hate her brother for that. I guess that means that Tsuna values a brother more than a father that is never there from the beginning," he finished. He then opened the door, "I hope you had some wonderful thoughts about this conversation. I must be going now," he said as he left the room.

…

Natsuki heaved a sigh as he and the others neared Namimori Private Academy at eight in the evening. Alaude had made sure that no students would stay in the school for long. As he got closer, he became more nervous of this whole affair every ten seconds.

Tsuna has left earlier to arrange things that she had excused as orders from _Regina_. He began to wonder, if she was not a member, then why is she running errands for the _Sentinella_ head?

They arrived at the gates only to be met by Alaude, who had just dismissed one of his charges and disappeared somewhere in a flash. He shot them a cold look, something that he is always seen to wear. "You came on time," he said.

Reborn went down from Natsuki's shoulder, "Of course, it is in our protocol to be punctual," he said.

Alaude merely nodded and motioned them to follow him inside. At night, the school had a feel of hostility and coldness, like it had been converted into an asylum. "The Vongola Nono and his External Adviser, along with the Cavallone Decimo has already arrived before you eight," he informed. "You will be staying in the same room overlooking the match. _Regina_ is getting prepared as we speak, and seeing through the final arrangements."

He stopped on his tracks when Tsuna had run into them, her face all quite awkward for the seriousness. "Oh good, you're here," she said. "Things are almost prepared, and _Regina_ will be willing to start anytime you wish," she informed, "However, we still have to wait for the Nineteenth,"

Natsuki's guardians' eyes sharpened at that declaration. The former head was coming to watch the trial. Natsuki and Reborn didn't notice it because of their surprise that the organization's former leader was to be present, "Nineteenth?" Reborn wondered.

Tsuna motioned them to continue the route, "The Nineteenth is the predecessor of the current leader, the Twentieth _Regina della Sentinella_. It is always the women who are experts in espionage affairs, and so, only females can take the title. The Twentieth, which is the current _Regina_, was trained by the Nineteenth, and the two shared a mother-daughter bond." She explained. "The Nineteenth has also been a guide to the both of us when I met the Twentieth."

Before Reborn could ask something, they had arrived at their destination. Tsuna slid the classroom door open. The room was cleared out of the desks of the students and was replaced by seats that faced the windows that had been covered with a protective glass. It would seem that they had prepared for this very well.

Inside were Timoteo, Iemitsu, Dino and his subordinate Romario, who were all seated at the spectator chairs. But what irked Natsuki was the solemn look in his father's eyes. He could sense that something had happened before they had arrived. The others had that solemn faces as well, even if they hid it in their faces. Natsuki was always good in telling what is up with these people since he was with them most of the time while he was in Italy.

"Dad, Ninth, Dino-nii, Romario-san," he greeted.

Timoteo smiled tenderly at the young boy, "Nice to see you all cheery again, Natsuki-kun,"

"Are you ready Natsuki?" Iemitsu asked.

Tsuna decided to butt in the conversation, "The match will begin once the Nineteenth, Anna-sama, arrives. You have all the time you need until Anna-sama arrives," she then turned to the door, not wanting to be in the same room as her father. "And please, no ruckus," she said in finality and left.

…

Tsuna arrived at the entrance of the school again to meet the limousine that had just parked fifteen minutes later. The door of the driver's seat opened revealing an Italian chauffeur, and opened the far end of the vehicle. Out came a woman in a black dress, her face was covered with a veil, and so is her short brown hair.

Tsuna smiled, "Welcome, Anna-sama," she greeted.

Anna smiled at her successor, "I expect to be impressed by the final trial, Tsunarumi-chan," she said with a smile, visible through her veil.

Tsuna nodded in assurance. "You won't be disappointed," she promised. "Shall I lead you to your private room? Your subordinates have already arrived before you,"

"They are here already? My, they are too punctual for their own good," she said with a laugh as the two of them entered the building, "Usually some of them are a few minutes late,"

"Yes, sometimes they are, but it is an interesting event, tonight, that is. I believe they wouldn't pass off the chance to see what I had cooked up," Tsuna said.

Anna smiled, "And I am as interested as them. Create a show no one will ever forget," she advised.

"As you wish," Tsuna could only reply.

Anna then frowned for a bit, "Tsunarumi-chan, are you sure that you can go through this?" she wondered.

Tsuna looked at her predecessor with curiosity, "What do you mean, Anna-sama?"

Anna smiled slightly, "Are you sure you want to keep the clueless act up? I know what is troubling you, dear girl. Nothing can escape my eyes," she said, giving no way for excuses.

Tsuna stayed quiet for a few seconds before answering, "I guess I got found out…but don't worry Anna-sama, I can take care of it…"

The woman frowned a bit, "I hope so as well," she said.

**Hoho~! This is going to be interesting! The final trial will start next chapter! **

**See you next week~!**

**REVIEW~!**


	30. The Final Trial

**Okay! What do you guys say I update? **

**This chapter is the start of the fight! I hope you guys like my update this week!**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 30 The Final Trial**

Reborn and the others looked out of the window a few minutes later to see the room directly in front of them open, where a group of people had entered. They couldn't distinguish their faces, but their silhouettes indicate that they were six men and a woman. They were all wearing business suits. The door opened once again to see a teenager with fluffy hair enter the room, and then followed by two more figures. One was a figure of a woman, and the other, the figure of a teenage girl that they all knew to be Tsuna. She has whispered something in the woman's ear and then left.

Natsuki was a bit curious as who the woman was. But Daemon, who had entered the room under Giotto's orders, as he had said, came behind the blond. "That woman that you saw Hime whisper at was the Nineteenth _Regina della Sentinella_, Anna the Beheader," he informed.

The blond twin cringed at the title of the woman. "The…Beheader?"

"Anna-sama was the trainer of _Regina_ before she succeeded the title," Gokudera informed, "She was the mother figure of the current _Regina_," he explained. "Like all professional Mafiosi, they have their own titles. The most notorious one that we had known from the generation of our parents is Anna-sama,"

Reborn looked at Gokudera, "Then what is the title of the Twentieth then?" he asked.

"The General," Mukuro supplied. "The Twentieth is known for her various eccentric, but effective strategies that can turn a situation into her favor and one of them could even endanger a person for the sake of those plans." He then looked at the Vongola Nono and his adviser, "And an example of that is the sacrifice of Hime in order for Xanxus' claim to be void as it should. You could never tell what is running on her mind, and we became the unsuspecting victims in the process," he said the last sentence while looking at Daemon, who ignored his brother's hidden glare.

"Now don't look at me like that Mukuro. I only followed orders," he defended.

Mukuro only glared, "Yes, yes you did…"

The adults in the room were deep in thought. The leader could be a good asset to the family one day, but they had decided against that. The leader of _Sentinella_ must never bind herself to any family, even if she is the part of the main family that leads it. One of the requirements that had been created by Bermuda when he had decided to create it eight hundred years ago was that the leader must never be bound, and asking for information or a task from them would mean serious money that could cost a mere family half its fortune.

Reborn, however, has other thoughts. The leader had a brilliant mind, maybe even more brilliant than the Lightning Arcobaleno, Verde. But he is more interested in the identity of the leader. Ever since he had discovered of Tsuna's supposed friendship to the Twentieth leader, he had assumed that maybe the leader was one of her large circle of friends, and narrowed it into three girls: Sasagawa Kyoko, Miura Haru, Chrome Spade and Kurokawa Hana. Up until that point, he is at a dead end, since he had seen that they have no records of being involved in the mafia at all, which leads him to a conclusion, that the person was someone she has had connections with in Italy.

There was a time when Iemitsu had sent them a letter giving them a week's all expenses paid trip to Italy four summers ago, and that Tsuna had once gotten lost, only to be found with another child, but the gender was not known, labeling it to be irrelevant at that time. At such cases Reborn would think that Iemitsu was a complete idiot for disregarding any information about his daughter, and ignoring her entirely in her face, while he tells everyone 'cute' stories about her from afar.

But that was not the case for now. Right now, he had to see what his student can do against the Twentieth _Regina della Sentinella_. This was the time to think about her identity. This was also the time to pass her trial.

When he saw Tsuna leave the room, he knew that the woman had sent the message to start the trial. He turned at his student, "Natsuki," he called. Natsuki faced him hurriedly, "Whatever happens, discover her identity,"

Natsuki looked shocked at the order. The others froze after hearing it, most especially the ones who had formerly worked with the leader. "Why?"

Reborn wanted to hit him for not getting the point, but he restrained himself, "If you were any person, you would want to find out the true identity of the person. She is not someone that we could underestimate, and probably, knowing her identity would make it easy to defeat her," he said. "The others know her identity but us," Natsuki turned to his guardians who were all equally guilty. Kyouya stayed impassive, but his eyes screamed bloody murder for assuming to find out the identity of the concealed leader. "And they can't tell because they had sworn under _omerta_, and that alone is unbreakable. Remember, she is also the person closest to Tsuna in terms of companionship other than Hibari. Tsuna is the one whom she trusts the most and vice versa, that led her into becoming the 'bait' of her plans,"

At that instant, Natsuki understood. If this was the girl who had to test him, he has to at least know who he will be up against. He sighed and nodded, "I'll try," he replied.

"Natsuki," Fran called. "One thing about _Regina_ though," Natsuki became interested, "Try to see what's not noticeable," he hinted.

'_Great, a cryptic hint. Thanks a lot…'_ he thought. But he just nodded in acceptance.

The door opened again revealing Giotto and Tsuna, "Natsuki," his sister called, "It's time. Giotto-nii will lead you to the field. I need to stay in this room to monitor actions," she informed. Daemon knew that kind of signature anywhere. The Tsuna in front of them was already an illusion.

Natsuki nodded. Giotto looked at him, "Come this way Natsuki,"

The younger blond followed him, but he could sense that there was some sort of hostility from his father directed at his cousin. He didn't know why. He followed his cousin anyway, and left the room.

When the two of them disappeared, Tsuna turned to Daemon, "Is the Illusion Squad in their places?" she asked.

Daemon nodded. "Excellent shape Hime,"

She then went to the window, her arms crossed, "Then we will begin as soon as Natsuki arrives at the field, and also _Regina_…"

…

Giotto led Natsuki to the field, silence permeating the air. It was beginning to bother Natsuki. Maybe it was just a way for him to feel tensed about the trial…either way; he would risk everything for the sake of him passing this trial.

"Are you nervous?" Giotto asked after a long silence.

The boy nodded, "It's just that…I will fight one of the closest people to Nee-san…"

"One word of advice then," he said, "Tsuna and _Regina_ are closer than you think," he then opened the door that would bring them outside the field. "Good luck,"

Natsuki gulped before he went to the field. He didn't know what to expect of the challenge in front of him. He had to pass the challenge for the sake of the safety of his sister from the mafia world, whether she wants him to or not. He wants to show his sister that he can be capable of defending her himself without the aid of anyone in _Sentinella_. He also had to pass this so that his friends will be safe from harm, and to protect them at all costs.

The door on the other side opened to see a familiar girl that he had seen on the laptop screen a week before, "Well, well, well, it's good news that you didn't run off in fright," she said as a greeting.

"Would Natsuki-dono be alright?" Basil wondered.

'Tsuna' didn't take her eyes off of Natsuki as she answered Basil, "_Regina_ is someone who does something completely out of hand. But she has enough sense on not to kill Natsuki…I hope…" she stated.

Reborn peered at Tsuna. "Then what is she capable of, exactly?"

Tsuna merely shrugged, "Even I can't estimate how good she is in combat…"

Natsuki looked at the girl in front of him. Somehow, she has a familiar feel that he could sometimes sense in the presence of Tsuna. But that was impossible. Tsuna was watching by the sidelines, and was watching over the battle that will occur. And there was no way he would let her see that Natsuki will waste all of the training she has given him for the past few days.

Tsuna still has her mask on, her hair (wig) braided, and she was wearing a black turtleneck sweater, jean shorts and sneakers. Her weapon was merely fingerless gloves with the insignia of _Sentinella_ brandished on it in a silver plate. The voice altering choker was still on her neck, stating that she needs it to conceal her identity from everyone. She could tell that he was quite nervous about this fight.

"Are you going to stare at me, or fight me, Sawada Natsuki?" the girl wondered. "This fight will start when you take the first blow." She instructed, "Now, show me your worth and resolve," she commanded as she got ready for the fight.

Natsuki didn't think twice and went into Hyper Dying Will Mode, his fluffy gloves turned into metal gloves, with the mark of X on the back of his hands. His eyes were of golden orange shade, and flames erupted from his forehead and hands.

"Ah, Hyper Dying Will Mode, I see. As expected from a descendant of Vongola Primo, whose name is the same as Ieyatsu," she mused. "But you will have to do more than just show me what those flames look like…" she said.

Natsuki knew that he needed to strike first. Forcing himself to hit a girl, he extinguished his flames on his right hand and went towards her, landing a punch her at the stomach. Tsuna allowed herself to be hit and went towards the wall of the building, and with the impact, the wall was destroyed. Smoke of the debris made Natsuki unable to see what has become of the leader. But his wondering was put to an end when she walked out of the smoky area.

Reborn observed the faces of Tsuna, the guardians and Daemon and saw their impassive looks. They were taking things professionally, even on Natsuki's guardians. A couple of years under the leader had made them watch things patiently.

"Hm…good power, I must say." She said as she walked casually out of it, her clothes dirtied by the debris and her legs were scratched a bit. "But I have to say, you will have to do more than that," she said as she ran towards him, packing a punch at his jaw.

Natsuki was surprised at her speed and he had almost hit the wall on the second floor, if he hadn't flipped for his feet to meet the wall instead, and propel himself out of the possible bad injury that might be inflicted on him. "She's fast…"

"Can I add 'furious'?" Tsuna's altered voice asked as she appeared standing just behind him, and she ran down and punched him in the face, landing him to the ground. Tsuna landed on him and stared. "You're quite agile and smart in absorbing my punches as to not strain my hands, Sawada," but she added sternly. "But don't you even dare treat me as a girl, you dolt. What if a girl enemy shows up? Are you also going to be all soft at them?" she questioned.

Natsuki stood up, his energy not faltering and looked at her. It had seemed that she was not tired or severely scathed at the first two minutes, and he knew that she would be a terrible opponent. His guardians except for Hibari had warned him that the girl was strong, but he didn't expect her to be at some point, on the level of the elites. She wasn't the leader of _Sentinella_ for nothing. "I have no intention of doing that," he stated.

"Then get some guts and fight me without hesitation!" she said as she unleashed something that Natsuki didn't expect for her to do. She went in Hyper Dying Will Mode. Her forehead was emitting flames larger than his and her hands as well, indicating that she was powerful with the flames. Natsuki could only guess that her eyes were golden orange as well.

Timoteo, Iemitsu, Reborn, and the others uninvolved in the organization were shocked at the ability of the girl. They had never witnessed another person go into Hyper Dying Will Mode that is not related or had the blood of the Vongola. There was something strange about the girl that they couldn't decipher.

Timoteo looked at Tsuna the Illusion, "Why does she have the ability?" he asked.

The illusionary Tsuna didn't waver in watching the match go on. "Clearly, I have no idea as well. When we met her, she already has that ability. She taught it to me, and everything that can be done in terms of flame manipulation," she informed. "She is very strong, and no one could get to the level she is in…"

"Could it be that the Primo had another direct descendant?" Dino asked.

"As of recently, the Sawada family is the direct descendant of the Primo…but after we witnessed this…things may have just changed. The history of the Primo must have been rewritten…" Reborn theorized, _'Or someone we know is behind that very mask…'_

Before he could utter a word, Tsuna had already gone at him and punched him in the face squarely. Natsuki held his ground, his feet sliding as he forced himself to stay standing. Looking at Tsuna, he stared in wonder at her. Her forehead emitted the same flame as him, but he looked at it closer to see that the flames were bigger in size and flare than his, and her hands were emitting the same kind of powerful flame. "Who are you…?"

Tsuna smirked at this, "To find out, take off my mask!" she said as she lunged at him again. Not wasting time, he propelled himself upwards, flying in the process. When he was about ten feet off the ground, he thought that he could watch her from above, but to his astonishment, Tsuna had already went ahead of him and grabbed his neck, slowly strangling him as the two descended to the ground slowly. "What makes you think that dodging me would save you, huh? Fight like a man!" she ordered as she stopped and using her hand on his neck, she threw him to the ground, creating a crater.

Natsuki clutched his neck in irritation as he tried to stand up. He stared at the descending girl as she branded a sinister smirk. "And you call yourself the candidate as Vongola Decimo. Don't make me laugh, useless trash," she spat out.

"How can you go on Hyper Dying Will Mode?" he demanded.

Tsuna smirked, "Find out for yourself," she said as she emitted her flames again to propel herself towards the blond, and readied her fist to hit him. As she did, Natsuki caught the hand with his own, and by the similar flames, both were extinguished. Natsuki saw his chance and grabbed her wrist with his other hand, now turning, and aimed to kick her in the stomach, but Tsuna saw through this and used her free hand to release high amounts of flames to make herself flip to land on his back, and bringing the hand with her, she grabbed his arms next and did a one hand over the back throw, slamming him on the ground. "Had enough?" she said as she walked out, "Then I guess you are not capable of inheriting Vongola after all," she stated.

Not wanting her to walk out and risk failing, Natsuki stood up, "No. I'm not done yet…" he replied. He closed his fists and went to attack her, "I'm not going to fail!" he declared as he punched Tsuna off guard and landed on another heap of debris. Natsuki didn't think twice to let her get up as he used his flames to get to her at a fast rate, only to see four glints coming from her direction. It caught Natsuki off guard as he realized that they were sharp kunais whose ends were attached to a black chain each. The four kunais had attacked him and injured him on both shoulders with two on each side, seeping blood. The kunais had retracted afterwards to the owner.

"Tch, to use a weapon against you," Tsuna muttered as she appeared unharmed. One hand held onto the chains mainly, while the other held the end where the kunais dangled. "I'm going to get a little serious right now," she informed.

"She has used one of her weapons…" Yamamoto stated in shock, "No one can provoke her to use a weapon under Dying Will Mode other than Hibari and up…"

"What is this all about?" Iemitsu demanded.

Illusion Tsuna was the one who answered, but she didn't even bother to look at Iemitsu, "She normally fights with her fists, Hyper Dying Will-less, of course, but when things get too tough, she uses weapons. She is skilled in various kinds of weaponry, and it's rare for her to use her weapons with her Hyper Dying Will active. Natsuki should feel honored, because not much would live to tell the tale of her prowess…"

Natsuki gritted his teeth in frustration. She was stronger than he had expected. Watching her walk towards him, he carefully backed away as she emitted flames on her hands, and he was shocked when the flames slowly crept around the chains to the kunais, and they floated and went around her like a protective snake or dragon that might attack Natsuki at any given time if the girl says the word. "Strangle…" she said as the kunais suddenly went after him like it had minds of their own.

He didn't have time to ponder on how she ordered the flame engulfed chained kunais like minions as he tried to outrun the chains, but they seemed to be longer than he had expected, and it quickly went after him in record time, with one chain on his neck, and three on his waist. Natsuki tried to pry the chain off of his neck, but he got weaker by the second because of the lack of air.

"So this is how it ends, Sawada Natsuki? You are losing. What are you fighting for anyways? Is it for power only, so that you could protect your _precious sorella_?" she taunted, "Well I will tell you this. Your sister doesn't need your protection. She is stronger than she looks, Sawada. Do not even for a second think that she is just a _fragile_ _piece of glass_," she declared. Although Tsuna was a bit uncomfortable by speaking in third person, it had to be done.

"No…" he said. "I don't fight for Nee-san only…" he stated. "I fight to protect everyone!" he declared.

Tsuna laughed maniacally, "You claim that you fight for your sister and friends and family, but what does this scene tells you?" she wondered, "I know. You are weak. You are _weak_ to protect everyone. They don't need a _protector_ as _weak_ as _you_!" she shouted, stressing her words. "And now you meet your end…"

Tsuna thought that the extinguishing of Natsuki's flames were his sign of surrender, but to her surprise, it flickered on and off while his hands created a stance. She knew that anywhere. It was the Zero Point Breakthrough. In just a matter of seconds, her weapons covered in flames were suddenly frozen solid. Not wanting to get at the receiving end of it, she let go of her spare chains and saw in amazement on how rapid the flames froze. At this time, Natsuki managed to break the chains off of his neck and waist and dropped to the floor feet first. He looked at Tsuna with such intensity that the girl almost cringed. "So I see you have learned the Zero Point Breakthrough. I'm surprised you already know that," she praised, "To freeze my chains that fast, you're amusing,"

"You're next…" Natsuki declared as he went after Tsuna. Propelling herself upwards, she managed to get away from Natsuki. She knew that Natsuki would freeze her when he gets the chance, but then, there is no need to get worried about that right now.

Dodging every possible hand contact, Tsuna resolved in attacking him from the back with kicks. It proved to be useful for the first two minutes, bit it wasn't long before Natsuki had caught up. Knowing her ploy, the moment she had landed her feet did Natsuki turn and grabbed it, and to Tsuna's astonishment, she was frozen. She had been petrified for a while until Natsuki grabbed her arms and froze her entire body.

"_Regina _-sama…" Mukuro murmured, flabbergasted. There was something in the actions of Tsuna that had been bothering him from the start; it was as if she was just merely playing around. Unless… "Daemon, what in the world is she planning _this time_?" he said with an accusing tone.

Daemon merely looked at him, "I have the same thought as you have, Mukuro," he replied.

"What do you mean?" Reborn demanded.

"She's just playing around…" Ryohei stated.

"I've noticed that a while ago too…" Yamamoto said.

The others were quite oblivious as to what they were observing in front of them, but the fact that they had said the term _'playing around'_ takes it into a dangerous turn. There was something that the leader was planning.

Completely immobile, Natsuki placed her on the ground, his eyes piercing into her. "Well done Sawada," she praised half-heartedly.

"Let me see your face," he said as he reached for her mask.

"You'll regret it," she assured.

Natsuki merely smirked, "I'll take my chances," he said as he took it off completely.

The moment he did, however, he regretted _ever_ taking off her mask.

**And cliffhanger! I just love writing cliffhangers. I originally wrote this as one chapter, but it went too long for my liking, so I sliced it up! **

**I hope you enjoy this chapter. **

**REVIEW~!**


	31. Regina della Sentinella

**My last update of the year! Want to know why? Well, even I needed a break from writing, since I will be busy shopping for Christmas. **

**Disregarding that, enjoy this chapter!**

**Chapter 31 **_**Regina della Sentinella**_

There in front of him, Natsuki saw the face of his sister. Pretty identical, except for the hair, but he had done _another_ thing that he regretted when he took off the black wig, and Tsuna's own braided brown hair fell.

"I told you you're going to regret it," she said, her voice still different.

"Nee-san…" Natsuki stared at her, "You're…"

Tsuna looked at her with calm eyes, "I'm who they call the Twentieth _Regina della Sentinella_, the leader of the mafia intelligence organization, _Sentinella_, also called the Watchers," she introduced, "My real name, Sawada Tsunarumi," she said without her voice or face faltering.

Byakuran, who was in the room with the Nineteenth and her own subordinates, smiled with interest, "So that was what she meant by revelation," he commented. He had thought what has gotten into that pretty head of hers, and he knew that it would be involved in complicated things.

"Hmm…so she has decided upon that," Anna stated, "This is quite a brave act on her part,"

"Brave and very risky if you ask me Anna-sama," Giotto commented. "She always did have a flare for dangerous plans, suicidal ones, might I add,"

Anna giggled, "That's Tsunarumi for you, Giotto-kun. We will just have to go with it," she advised. "I taught her the basics of strategies, but I have no hold on what kind of plans she could cook up to her advantage. We will have to wait for the finishing touch."

"Because even if it is that dangerous, all of us can say that all of her plans are effective, and shows good results," Eliza said, supporting Anna's statement.

"The only question is, what she is planning with revealing herself this way besides what she has told us," Alaude wondered.

"I have a good guess…" Anna said.

Everyone in the room besides Natsuki's guardians and Daemon looked in a state of shock as to what they had seen. _Regina_, the leader was actually Tsuna in disguise?

Timoteo looked at the Tsuna inside the room, and saw it crumble into dust. "So…she has been there the whole time…" he muttered.

"Nufufufu…a real illusion in order to deceive people that a person is present rather than absent," he commented.

Iemitsu looked at the others with enraged eyes, "You knew who she was, didn't you?" he demanded. No one met his eyes. "Why didn't any of you hint it?"

"So Sawada Natsuki could do what, Sawada Iemitsu?" Kyouya said, stepping towards him, "So that your son would bail out of this trial just because his sister was the one fighting in front of him? So that he would fail?" he asked. Iemitsu was about to open his mouth when he saw the severe coldness in the boy's grey eyes. "Tsunarumi had been living this life ever since you made it clear to her that she has to fend for herself in the mafia world while you baby her younger herbivorous twin. This is her life, and you have _no_ hand in this. You have _no_ say in her life, and most especially you have _no_ right to be called her _father_. So do the professional thing and stay here and keep your qualms to yourself. This kind of secret is protected by _omerta_, unless you have forgotten. She showed you herself so that you wouldn't get killed on the spot should you have the brains to invade her personal space, so be thankful." He lectured.

Everyone was pretty surprised of the Head Prefect's outburst but no one commented on that. Kyouya, in turn, just went back to the place he had been watching the battle.

Natsuki took a step back, not believing what he was seeing. "N-Nee-san…" he muttered. "H-How…Giotto-nii said that you are not part of _Sentinella_! Why did you lie?"

Tsuna looked at him with amusement, "I didn't lie, and neither did the others. They said that I was not a _member_. I am not a member of _Sentinella _Natsuki, I'm their _Regina della Sentinella_." she informed, "So there are no grounds of me or my agents lying," she merely replied.

"So all of this, why…why did you make me fight against you?" he demanded.

"To let you know that getting your resolve from me is making you weak," she stated. "That kind of resolve is not befitting for a Vongola boss. Your resolve is too small. I can't acknowledge you," she declared.

"What do you expect me to do?" he asked.

"First things first," Tsuna said, "Pay attention and listen to your hyper intuition," she stated. "Our bloodline ability is 'hyper' for something," she said. "Secondly, you remember about Mukuro also being the combat type illusionist? Well, I'm the other way around…" she said. "You see, I'm more than just a combat girl…"

Natsuki almost had a heart attack when he saw Tsuna's face crumble like porcelain until her entire being inside the ice broke altogether. "W-What…?"

"I SAID PAY ATTENTION, IDIOT!" Tsuna shouted from behind him, her voice now rid of the voice alteration choker. The moment he turned, Tsuna came bustling at him and hit him with her elbow powerfully, sending him flying to the side.

When Natsuki looked forward, his sister was there, unscathed and unfrozen. "I…I've been fighting an illusion all along…?"

Tsuna smirked, "I'm part illusionist. Thanks to Daemon-san, Mukuro and Eliza-san. They saw the potential in me and taught me what they know," she revealed. "I always had a knack in concealing things, and well…I found out about my secret skill. But that's not going to stop you from fighting me, right?" she taunted.

"No," Natsuki said as he blasted his full to propel towards her, but Tsuna merely dodged it by flying upwards into the dark sky. Natsuki followed suit, but he caught no sight of her.

"Now that I will no longer be your resolve to fight, Natsuki…" Tsuna said creeping behind him, and kicked him down. "What will you do? You can't use me as a cover resolve. As you can see, I can fight myself, which makes your resolve of fighting for me void!" she said as she met him halfway and hit him in the jaw. Natsuki gave into his weakness, and he allowed himself to fall on the ground.

Tsuna didn't stop there. She zoomed towards him and lifted him up by the neck, a malicious face marring her beautiful face before she threw him across the field, slamming on the walls of the school. Natsuki appeared wounded, and cement stained his clothes.

Natsuki stood up, not allowing himself to be shown off and get killed off. He went towards her directly, but he didn't see her take out her Desert Eagle from out of nowhere and shot it at him the moment the gun glowed orange. As he had expected, the gun released a powerful stream of flames, this time, it released them like a flamethrower would. Fierce flames were targeted at Natsuki. He stared at the angry flames directed at him before he got himself together and flew. The flames hit where he had fallen, and had created a massive hole in it. Tsuna could only imagine G freaking out with the cost of repairs because of this.

Reborn was silently murdering his student in his head. To be weakened by a revelation…but he knew that it would be hard on him as well.

Natsuki was not looking pretty good in his state. He looked at his left leg to see it burnt along with his skin with a first degree burn. How he will explain this to his mother, he will just have to wing it. He suddenly noticed a presence behind him until it was all too late.

Tsuna appeared behind him and hit him with her elbow with such strength, that he had come plummeting down in no time at all. He landed on the ground with a loud thud. Forcing his head to turn, he looked at his sister coming down towards him, "N-Nee-san…why…?"

Tsuna looked at him as she descended, "You _disgust_ me," Natsuki's eyes widened and twitched when he heard that phrase from her sister's lips, "Using your sister that you labeled as weak to gain a resolve. Let me tell you this again, your resolve is _weak_. That's why your flames are _also_ weak. What makes you think that I will allow you to fight _my_ fights for _me_? You are a _disgrace_ to me," she said with venom. "I thought you learned a lot in Italy, but in truth, you never learned the most important thing. That is to gain a _strong_ resolve…"

Hearing that from his own sister is worse than what he has heard when he was first shot with the Criticism bullet. It was something that came out of the sister he has loved, and it hurt so much. But she was right. For years, he has been thinking too simply for everyone's liking. It was the first time sans for Reborn, that anyone close to him had insulted him this openly. It was worse when it was his sister, the sister that he had loved so much since childhood. But that was not the case now. Tsuna had once said to him to broaden his resolve. He didn't expect that her intention was to show that she was not the proper resolve for him, no; he needed something that was foolproof. And there was one left that had been on the back of his mind, something that his over protectiveness on his sister had concealed.

"I…" Natsuki tried to stand up, his head moved to look at her, "You may not need me anymore, Nee-san…" he started, "I know that my over protectiveness around you is too much…but I have people to fight for!" he shouted. "I had once thought that to protect others, I have to protect you first…and I have my friends in Italy and here, and I will use all my strength to see to it that they are all protected!" he shouted as his flames had increased, shocking everyone but Tsuna who just eyed her brother in interest.

"I admire your determination, but can you put that into action?" she wondered as she flew at the floor where they are all watching. She smiled sinisterly, a smile that they didn't expect for the kind and gentle girl that they had known for a long time. One hand she extinguished the flames on it, and then she began to control a fireball-like form on the palm of her hands like a wizard would do on flame manipulation. Tsuna then formed them into spikes, and to all their astonishment, she had turned them into ice, circling around her dainty hand, multiplying by the second until it was twenty. Looking at her brother who was staring in horror, she smirked evilly and aimed it at the spectator's window.

"Oops, better go…" Daemon said as he disappeared like sand.

Mukuro glared at his brother's disappearing illusion, "Daemon you bastard!" he cursed.

"What are they intending to do?" Basil asked.

Dino looked at the girl, "She's aiming it at us!"

"DUCK!" Ryohei advised as they all did what he said.

"NO!" Natsuki shouted.

It aimed quite well on her part, making the glass windows shatter. At least everyone had the brains to stay out of the window when needed. All of them went to the ground to take cover, and they were thankful that they weren't scathed in any way dangerous.

"Why did she EXTREMELY hit us?" Ryohei wondered out loud.

"Is she…trying to dispatch us?" Yamamoto asked to no one in particular.

Tsuna looked at them, "You're saying that they are the people that you care about? You're saying that you are using me as a protection practice in order to protect _all_ of them?" she asked to her brother. "Am I just a practice tool? Is that it Natsuki? Am I just a trial and error tool to you?"

Natsuki was a bit dumbfounded. Did his sister really think that way? "No, it's not what you think Nee-san! Not at all!"

Tsuna glared at him, "Then why did you say that if you can protect me, then you can protect everyone else? Did you think that I am more troublesome than them for you to start protecting me?!" she said with rage filling her eyes. "If they are so important to you, then I can dispose of them right now!"

The five boys in the room, who were Natsuki's guardians, were wide eyed when they heard her declaration. Was Tsuna trying to get rid of them? This was not the Tsuna they knew. This was not the Tsuna they had been with for the past years.

"Now I'm going to turn them to ashes…" she said as she released a large amount of flame on one hand, pointing at the back, while the other pointed at the spectators, hands glowing orange but no flames came yet, but she was serious in aiming at them with her look.

"Tsuna…" Iemitsu muttered lowly as he looked at the power that his daughter had been accumulating. This was his entire fault from the start.

"Prepare to get blasted into smithereens…" Tsuna said with such coldness, the others would think that she was possessed.

Natsuki couldn't take it anymore. The moment something on the back of his head told him to take that blow instead, he zoomed at the spectator's room and placed himself in front of the awaiting shot of his sister. Tsuna looked at him with pity, "Out of the way Natsuki. Let me kill them. You will find more suited people to surround you anyways," she instructed. "That is, if you can…"

Natsuki shook his head violently, "NO WAY IN HELL!" He protested. "There is no way I am going to make you kill them! You will have to kill me first!"

"Are you ready to die with them?" Tsuna taunted.

"Kill me on your mark," Natsuki said with his eyes staring into hers.

"This is goodbye," she bid and released her flames all at once.

All of them covered their eyes as the bright orange flames started to blind them. They all felt heat beyond compare, and all of them somehow knew that it would be the end of them.

Natsuki had felt the same thing as well. He felt a burning sensation on his chest that he couldn't distinguish. But then, he suddenly felt a warm—not hot—sensation as well. It was like happy flames, gentle flames that he had never felt before.

Now he was wondering why the pain was not yet coming. He could swear that he had felt all of those without any hints of pain, which was weird. This was not flames that kill…

Opening his eyes, he tried to see what was in front of him, and what met him was wonder. He was not burning. He was actually being calmed. It was like the flames are cleansing his mind, as if assuring him that everything will be fine.

'_What…what's this feeling? It's like…Nee-san…'_ he was feeling the presence of his sister when she is smiling, always happy to see him, smiling when he's there, and angry when something goes horribly wrong. He was feeling the signature of his sister. It was like her flame of life, her tender, gentle flames that can be dangerous if provoked.

As it faded, his vision returned. He looked at his body to see that he was not harmed. Looking at the window of the spectator's room, he saw that all of them were alright, no scratches at all. "Guys…everyone…" he said in a relieved tone.

Everyone in that room opened their eyes to see that they were not harmed at all. "What? We're not hurt?" Yamamoto wondered.

"What does this mean?" Timoteo wondered.

"It means that you were not killed by Tsunarumi," Kyouya replied, who was standing in the corner, brushing off dust from his jacket. "She merely used her flames to cleanse; she did not endanger you with it,"

Tsuna brandished a smile on her face as she winked at Kyouya, then she turned to Natsuki, her smile never leaving her, "I'm proud of you Natsuki." she said. "You pass," she said as she went down slowly. Natsuki followed rapidly as the two went out of their Hyper Dying Will Mode, wanting answers.

Natsuki could only look at her incredulously. "W-What did you say…?" he asked. "But…why?"

Tsuna laughed lightly, "Did the ones in Italy ever told you why Vongola was created in the first place, Natsuki?" she asked. When Natsuki didn't answer, she continued, "Vongola was created to protect the weak of the mafia, so that no innocent people would be endangered because of it," she said. "Our ancestor, Vongola Primo, created the Vongola for the sake of protecting everyone that needs it, and when you went in front of me to take the blow head on, and die with them, it proved that you had that will." Natsuki could tell that the look in her eyes were proud eyes, "I can see now that you, Natsuki, could lead the Vongola to its rightful path again. Therefore, I hereby recognize you as the Vongola Decimo," she declared as Giotto appeared in front of them when he opened the door to the field, holding the box that contains the Vongola Rings.

"Congratulations, Vongola Decimo," Giotto said as he handed the box towards him.

Natsuki could only stare stupidly at the rings that were held out to him. "I…" he merely muttered and fainted. It was a good thing that Giotto caught him on time.

Tsuna and Giotto stared at him holding their laughs. What a reaction this guy had.

"Natsuki!" A shout came from the other entrance of the field. There they saw the people at the spectator's room that Tsuna destroyed the windows of. The ones leading it were Dino, Iemitsu, Timoteo and Reborn who were followed by his guardians except for Kyouya who had decided to walk rather than run.

Giotto was holding him, "Relax, he just passed out from sheer shock and relief," he informed.

Reborn peered at Tsuna, "Why did you disguise yourself and fought Natsuki, Tsuna?" he demanded.

Tsuna wanted to disregard the subject, but everyone was very eager to learn, but Natsuki was still asleep, "We can talk about more important details when Natsuki wakes up. All I can say for now is that it's essential," she replied. Then she looked at Giotto, "Take him to the infirmary room. He needs to be woken up the normal way other than get hit, and ask Knuckle-san to heal him of his injuries, including the burn he got before we get him home," she ordered.

Iemitsu sighed, "How am I going to explain this to Nana?" he muttered.

Tsuna looked at him with a deadpanned face, "I'll talk to her. Leave things to me, unless you want to make things worse than it already is," she then looked at her cousin, and the rest of her group entered the field and went close to Natsuki. No one from his side protested on their approach, "Well then, let's get Natsuki healed. Knuckle-san?" she called.

Knuckle nodded right away as he helped Giotto lift Natsuki up. "Whoa, he's heavy…" he commented as they all heaved him up and sent him to the infirmary, leaving Tsuna to deal with the others.

"I guess you want explanations on why I did that little stunt?" she wondered. All were eager to listen, but they knew her answer. "Sorry, you will have to wait until tomorrow. My reserves are now a little…" she said as she disappeared in a cloud of mist.

Giotto huffed, "Don't tell me she ran out of gas at this time. Really, she pushed herself too much…" he muttered.

Then that made everyone think. Was Tsuna ever present in the first place?

When they got to the house with assurance from Giotto that the twins will be fine, Natsuki was already home, and in his room, and Tsuna had been in bed for the past two hours, although no one in the house could tell if the one they saw in the room was also an illusion.

…

Natsuki started to stir at seven in the morning. He sat up to find himself inside his room alone. Then the events of last night came back into him. Him fighting against the leader of _Sentinella_, finding out the truth, getting mashed, and almost risked his life to get blasted into smithereens by his own sister, and passing suddenly, and then fainted.

He wondered why Reborn was not there in his room to wake him up the usual way, which was hitting him with his mallet. Although it was Sunday, that was no excuse for the baby hitman on not to wake him up violently. Getting up before that happens, he suddenly felt pain everywhere. His back, legs and arms hurt from the beating he received from Tsuna when he had been too open.

"Now that was some beat-up I'd never forget…" he muttered to himself.

He got off his bed and got dressed slowly, what with his body pains. He managed to get down to the dining room and saw the normal setting at the kitchen.

Nana and Tsuna looked at the new arrival, "Good morning Natsu-kun!" Nana greeted.

"I see you decided to get up early for once, Natsuki," his sister said with a smile.

Iemitsu, Basil and Reborn were nowhere to be seen. It was all the reason why his sister was in a fairly good mood—too good in his opinion. Sitting down, he looked them, "Where are Dad and the others?"

"They went to Dino-kun's hotel an hour ago dear," Nana said.

Tsuna brought him a plate of his breakfast, "They seem to be in a hurry about something, but Reborn did say that they would return before lunch," she informed.

Uh…okay…" he was clearly confused by this. Tsuna had treated him normally, which he was thankful for, but the memories of last night was like a bad dream right now, because Tsuna never showed any hints of the fight occurring last night. He has to wait for the others so that they could explain why this little set-up was being done.

But he didn't have to wait that long when Tsuna had whispered to him, "Apparently, Hime will be out of order for the next month. Later on, you will have to meet her when she wakes up, okay?" the illusion informed.

Natsuki almost choked on his food. This was not Tsuna. It was one of Daemon's illusions of his sister. It could only mean one thing. Something bad happened, and he will not stop until he gets to the bottom of this.

…

**Namimori Five Star Hotel**

"So, Tsunarumi-chan is the Twentieth _Regina della Sentinella_ after all…" Dino muttered.

Reborn nodded, "To think Tsuna would keep such a reputation from the eyes of the Vongola…it seems to be too much to take in. A girl who was once known as Dame-Tsuna, now known in the school as the mediator of the two power organizations of one of the most prestigious private schools in Namimori, and in the mafia, the leader of the mafia intelligence organization…a very good track record…"

Timoteo nodded, "But she is a dangerous person to cross. No one in their right minds would dare challenge the leader of an organization under Vindice," he said.

Iemitsu sighed, "But still…it's still a shock to me that Tsuna was that kind of person…" he commented. "I never knew what she was capable of from the start…"

"That's because you rarely reach out to her, and when you do, she swats it. That's your own mistake," Reborn commented.

"But it got me wondering," Dino said, "How did Tsuna, your nephew and his friends got tangled up in the affairs of _Sentinella_?" he wondered.

"That is something that only Tsuna can answer," Reborn replied.

**I know this is not much, but this is all I could pitch in for this chapter, and besides, we are nearing the end! The next chapter will be posted next year, so stay tuned for it! **

**Merry Christmas everyone!**

**REVIEW~!**


	32. Conclusion

**Hey! Happy New Year guys! **

**As much as it pains me to say this, but, this is the final chapter of this fic! (cries) I have been outlining this out from the start, so this is really my official final chapter (took me three times to be satisfied with this). I did say on my earlier chapters that I will only take this as far as the Varia arc, and so, I ended up with this. Further announcements will be at the end of thee chapter.**

**I hope you enjoy this final chapter. **

**Chapter 32 Conclusion**

**Earlier that night**

_**Sentinella**_** Base**

The moment all of them entered the base, they were met by Irie at the door, joined by Eliza. All of them were shocked to find them near the base infirmary. "I'm glad you guys are here!" Irie said with relief. It could be seen that he had been fussing all over the base since that evening. Something had gone terribly wrong.

"Irie! What happened? We came as soon as we saw Tsuna's illusion break. It wasn't supposed to be that way!" Giotto asked frantically.

Irie nodded. "There is trouble. Come with me," he said as he led them to the infirmary room where Tsuna had been staying.

When they had arrived, they saw Anna waiting for them beside Tsuna's bed her eyes were full of sheer worry despite the fact that half her face was almost hidden by her black veil. When she spotted them entering the room, she slowly stood up, supported by Byakuran who had been by her side the whole time. "Giotto-kun…everyone," she called with relief. But then she noticed that someone was missing, "Where's Knuckle-kun?" she asked.

"Knuckle went with the Vongola brat and the others. Hime had tasked him to watch over Natsuki until he wakes up," Lampo explained.

"I see…" Anna looked at Tsuna who was currently wearing an oxygen mask, unconscious and breathing heavily. "Always thinking of her brother even though she is in a dangerous state…" she muttered.

Kyouya raised a brow, "What do you mean, Anna-sama?" he said, walking towards Tsuna's side.

"I know Tsunarumi-chan. It appears that she had miscalculated some things regarding her plans…" she revealed. Now that was a word that none of them believed would be in the same sentence with Tsuna and her plans. Miscalculation was something of a taboo word for her. It was impossible for them to think of it as well. As the others delved on that thought, she decided to continue. "It all started when she used herself as the bait as GolaMosca's sole battery, in order to save VongolaNono. It took too much of her flame reserves considering that the humanoid had gone haywire and brought forth chaos and destruction in the grounds of the school. It was too much for her flame reserves and it almost ran out…" she started. "We had thought that she would fully recover, however, her reserves have not returned by half even now. I tried to reason with her along with Eliza and the others, but she didn't listen. She still set the day of the final trial to a week."

"She…" G muttered and cursed.

Kyouya looked at Tsunarumi. She looked so weak and defenseless. It was wringing his heart out to see her in that state. It was worse than the time when she was still 'Dame-Tsuna' everyone knew and bullied. Nothing could compare to her state right now. One wrong move and she will be in danger. "She risked her reserves to make Sawada Natsuki the Vongola Decimo as soon as possible." He concluded.

All looked at Anna, who did not object to Kyouya's conclusion. "That is a possible answer. It would appear to her that it would be better to deem Natsuki worthy of the title in the shortest time as possible in order for him not to encounter any more problems regarding the succession. She would have not benefited from it right now, but it would save her for being questioned if she was biased on choosing Vongola's heir as the one who had initiated this whole issue. More so, the ones who favors Xanxus could threaten his life, and more importantly, hers," she looked at Tsuna again, "The silly child…"

"What will happen to her then? Will she be alright?" Giotto wondered.

Irie sighed deeply, "When the illusion of hers broke, her reserves suddenly went down the drain for straining herself too much even though she didn't release the X-Burner flames. She had enough sense not to release those flames, because she had put all of her reserves there all at once. She was gambling in that ground, I can tell."

Daemon gritted his teeth, "She's too suicidal for her own good…" he muttered.

"And she has no such regard for her life…really, very troublesome…" Ugetsu muttered.

Kyouya then looked at the red-head, "Then, how is she right now?"

Irie took the clipboard from the table next to him, "According to the tests, she would be sleeping for a few more hours due to exhaustion and low reserves. It would take another month for her reserves to fully return to normal though. We need to monitor her the moment she wakes up so that she wouldn't use her reserves," he informed. "Which means…"

"Hime-chan will be on lockdown by the time she wakes up~!" Byakuran said with a cheerful voice, though his face looked calm as always.

All of them looked at Irie for an explanation of the said lockdown, "You do realize once Hime does things, she is always able to get away with it, and we figured that it would be better if she is on base lockdown and banned from using the training room or any kind of room that requires her to use her flame reserves and to train. It would be too much for her body to handle, and she might just have a relapse of low critical flame levels like what happened to her today. Both her sky and mist flames were exhausted by the constant use of it, and since her body is shocked at the excessive use of the flames in less than two weeks and thanks to the Gola Mosca, it couldn't take the pressure which caused her to break down. She needs to be confined here where she can't move and step on the training room or her office. It's the only way for her flame levels to return to normal,"

Giotto turned to the room where Tsuna is, "That girl…is always giving us heart attacks with her crazy plans…" he muttered. "Seriously, one day, she will be the death of us…"

"When will she be awake?" Kyouya asked the red head.

Irie fixed his glasses before answering, "The moment her reserves get to her minimum level required for her to move about. Estimation would be tomorrow morning or afternoon," he answered.

The room fell silent for a while until Giotto broke it, coming to a decision on how to cover it up. "Daemon, can you still conjure a real illusion of Tsuna for a bit longer?" he asked. He knew that the older illusionist had no reserves like Tsuna does, but his reserves were enough to earn him the honor as one of the few who can hoodwink Vindice when it comes to disguises.

Daemon nodded in reply. "I guess I can still hold up for about a month, and with Mukuro, Chrome and Fran's help, it could hold up," he assured.

Everyone could only look at their reckless leader.

…

**Present Day**

Tsuna opened her eyes to find herself in a familiar place: the infirmary. She hated the white ceiling of the place, even if it is the mark of pureness. She really hates hospitals and the infirmary too. It would only worsen her mood.

She heard the door open and a familiar voice echoed in the room, "Finally, you're awake," she looked to her side to see a much disheveled Kyouya carrying a tray of food that signaled her that it was already afternoon. "We've been waiting forever,"

Tsuna absorbed the sight of her boyfriend, which almost made her laugh if she wasn't feeling weak right now, "I can see the proof," she teased.

"Do you have any idea how worried we were when you had dispelled your illusion so suddenly? What did I tell you about keeping me in the dark?" he lectured.

Tsuna sighed, "I didn't want to worry you, and I didn't know that my reserves will go on a critical level for using them with illusions…I guess I overestimated my reserves," she admitted.

Kyouya sighed, anger leaving his system. There was no way in hell he will stay mad at her. It was one of the things that Tsuna is thankful for all the time. Her boyfriend might lecture her, or get angry at her, but all the negative feelings will die out in a matter of hours. "You do realize that you are going to be on lockdown the moment you opened your eyes, right?"

Tsuna sighed, "I figured as much, but that's how it's supposed to be. But I have to do something before accepting my lockdown,"

Kyouya raised a brow, "Which is?"

"Speaking to Gokudera-kun and the others to know what it means to be a _Confidante_," she answered. "As far as I'm concerned, some of them worry of splitting their loyalties between twins of different worlds, and I want to set things straight. All of them understood the consequences it brings to become a Vongola guardian, and that is to have the undying loyalty towards the boss.

Kyouya smirked at that, "You don't have to," he said, which surprised Tsuna. "Last night, they willingly handed over their badges to Giotto as a sign of severing secret ties with _Sentinella_ so that they could pay more attention into becoming Sawada Natsuki's guardians and I did as well,"

"Does that mean this is the last time you will ever come here in the base?"

"It's not the end of the world, is it?" Kyouya replied.

Tsuna blushed at her simplemindedness. She was turning into a desperate schoolgirl! This was uncalled for!

Kyouya saw the slight distress of his girlfriend and smirked at it. But not wanting to lose control of himself, he patted her head and stood up, "Go and eat. You will be meeting your brother in a few moments as scheduled, right?"

Tsuna nodded. The raven smiled a rare smile, "Then I will see you in the briefing room,"

…

**A few hours later**

By the time Iemitsu arrived only with Reborn, Natsuki wondered why Basil, Dino and the Ninth were not present. "Where are the others, Dad?" Natsuki wondered.

"They can't come due to some issues," Iemitsu stated. "Though they asked us to relay the information to them as soon as we hear them,"

"That's too bad," Tsuna said, emerging from the living room, a smirk on her face. But judging from the weak illusion that was somehow done on purpose, they knew the real Tsuna was absent. "I was expecting that you were going to seek moral support from them in facing me," she mused, "But I see that you're playing the brave cards right now,"

"Nee-san!" Natsuki said in shock when he heard her words. "How could you say that in front of Dad?"

Tsuna merely looked at his brother blankly, making his spine shiver for some unknown reason, "He lost the right to be one years ago." She answered sternly, "Now, if you want to talk to me, meet me at Namimori Park in thirty minutes," she said and then faded away.

Natsuki gaped at where she disappeared. Tsuna had been using too many illusions of herself nowadays. "What the hell? Since when did she conjure that illusion? I didn't even feel a thing!"

"She's skilled in that department. She's the _Regina della Sentinella_, what do you expect?" Reborn said, in his head, admitting that the girl can cast high-level illusions. But he wonders where those flames came from genetically.

…

Tsuna sighed at the camera. She was sitting on her desk at the office, watching the scene unfold. Who knew that illusions can make you tell how scary you can be in the view of someone else? She had nagged Giotto into bringing her to the office, but in exchange, she must bear sitting in a wheelchair after discovering that she has been tumbling in every step she took. Irie had explained that her physical strength and energy is connected with her flames, so she is as good as a sick person already.

She looked at the camera again, and the three of them went to their respective rooms to get prepared to go to Namimori Park.

Verde then entered the office via the Arcobaleno tunnel. "Verde-san," she greeted.

"Preparations are done, Tsunarumi," he informed.

Tsuna nodded in return. "Thank you for your help, Verde-san," she replied.

But Verde has something in his mind, "Tsuarumi, are you really sure about this?" he asked. After hearing the news first thing in the morning, he was more than surprised that Tsuna had revealed herself to her brother, the future boss of the Vongola to boot.

Tsuna sighed and turned to him, "Yes. It's the only way…" she replied. "A lot of questions are being asked by them, and to get them out of my hair, I have to talk,"

Verde adjusted his glasses. "Whatever floats your boat…" he gave up asking the girl for today. Whatever goes into her mind, no one will ever know unless she tells. Though, she never relays complete information anyways.

Tsuna sighed as Verde left. What Fon had said was right. Some of her close colleagues who had the right to know about this were disbelieved at her action. But it was essential, she told herself. No one can bring back what had passed. She had her reasons, and it has to come out sooner or later.

…

Natsuki, Iemitsu and Reborn arrived at the meeting place, but no one was in Namimori Park. That made them puzzled. Was Tsuna toying with them for this?

They had walked inside the park and looked around, but there was no sign of another person in the perimeter. They didn't notice a red beam at the sides of the two plant boxes when they entered, making it blink continuously.

"What is all this?" Natsuki complained. "Where are Nee-san and the others?"

Reborn and Iemitsu looked around the perimeter, but they saw no one as well. "Where could they be?" Reborn wondered.

It was then when the ground of the park shook. Iemitsu and Natsuki tried to maintain their ground and risk losing balance. They watched in awe as the sandbox shook most violently and began to rise. It took them by surprise, and saw that the sandbox was an elevator of some sort. The elevator opened revealing Knuckle, with his ever cheerful smile.

"Hello Sawada, Sawada-san, Reborn-san," he greeted.

"Knuckle-san!" Natsuki called out.

Reborn sharpened his eyes, "The cousin of Sasagawa Ryohei and Sasagawa Kyoko…Sasagawa Nakoru, or as they call, Knuckle," he addressed fully. "The former sophomore captain of Paragon University's boxing club…"

Knuckle merely smiled sheepishly at that, "That's the past, Reborn-san," he said, "Now, will you come inside now? The others are waiting. Your guardians are already here," he informed. "Courtesy of us dragging them of course," he added.

The three hesitated at first, but complied. If they want to find out the things behind the actions of Tsuna, then they have to go with him. Knuckle looked at them with the same gentle smile as he pressed a button and the doorway closed and they slowly went underground. Not a trace of the elevator was seen at the park.

The ride down was a quiet one, neither party uttering a word. Twenty feet below the ground later, the door opened revealing a long lighted hallway. But what amazed them was that it was designed like they were inside a regal nineteenth century manor, what with the walls being made of the most elegant of marbles and limestone posts with intricate carvings. The furniture, vases etc., blended well with the atmosphere. There was even a long velvet carpet to add up to it.

"Wow…" Natsuki muttered.

Knuckle laughed, "Yeah I know. The first time we set foot here, we were as shocked as you," he commented as he led them through the hallway. "Anna-sama and her subordinates made this before we even came here. You see, she has Japanese blood, so she made her management's headquarters here in Namimori,"

The two men's eyes sharpened. "So this Anna person resides in Namimori?"

Knuckle scratched the back of his head, having said too much, "Well…I can't say that now. Anna-sama had been on her traveling escapades ever since Tsuna was given power. She could be somewhere in France or Belgium for all we know," he said with a laugh. It was then when Knuckle stopped abruptly.

"What is it?" Iemitsu wondered.

Knuckle looked left and right, and scratched his head, "I…think we're lost…" he concluded.

Natsuki twitched. He was really related to Ryohei. "We're what?!"

"I thought this corner would bring us to the briefing room adjacent to the house of..." he muttered. But with his keen eyes, he saw a slight ripple on the walls. He frowned annoyed, "Daemon, how many times do I have to tell you, not to use illusions while I'm leading guests to the briefing room?" He shouted.

"Nufufufu, it's fun," Daemon said, appearing from the wall on the right side of the hallway with a smirk on his face.

"Really," Knuckle sighed, "If Tsuna finds out about this, she's going to have your ass," he lectured.

Daemon raised his brow, "Saying vulgar words outside Christian School grounds, are we, Knuckle?" he teased.

The said boy growled, "Daemon…" he warned.

Daemon raised his hands in defeat, "Fine," he gave up and snapped both his fingers, and the hallway only showed one way. At that moment, Knuckle remembered the paths.

"Now, if you gentlemen follow me...and Daemon, cut the illusions," Knuckle said as he went through the hall with Daemon behind them, making sure no one gets off track.

They arrived at a large door of oak three minutes later. Reaching for the large knocker, Knuckle used it three times. A voice shouted to come in and Knuckle obeyed.

The door opened revealing a large room with everything high tech inside one big room. It wasn't just a briefing room. It was the main intelligence room. At the farthest corner of the long table, there sat Tsuna in a brown leather wheelchair, looking upon the visitors of the day with a small smile, her eyes only paying attention to her little brother. It was a complete shock to him to see her in a wheelchair, and he wanted to ask why, but Tsuna had begun to speak.

"Glad you could make it, Natsuki," she addressed. "Take a seat," she gestured to the seats on her left. She then looked at Daemon, "Oh, and Daemon? The walls can see and hear everything. No illusions when we have guests," she scolded lightly, and the man returned with a shrug of his shoulders.

The three hesitated to follow her for a while, but complied, taking the idea of her attempting to kill them out of their minds.

Tsuna laughed at their nervousness, "No need to get so worked up. I won't bite," she assured.

"Are you the real Tsuna this time, or are you just another illusion?" Reborn asked.

Tsuna nodded. "I've been here since last night," she said. "To tell you the truth, I've just woken up a few hours ago," she confessed.

"So that means…you…there…at the house…and last night…" Natsuki trailed off.

His sister nodded, "You've been seeing the illusion me for the entire Saturday," she admitted. "Kyouya won't let me fight seriously in my state right now, so I had to use the next best thing. A real illusion I can control and transmit my flames to."

Natsuki felt cheated. He had fought an illusion all along? He never thought that he would have a hard time with an illusion, but then…if the illusion was that strong, then he wouldn't want to know how strong his sister really is.

"Isn't this a little bit unfair on my student's part, _Regina_?" Reborn addressed formally.

Tsuna let out a smirk, "Official business off the bat? I'll go along," she replied. "Don't take it the wrong way, Sun Arcobaleno," Reborn's brows met, "I have gotten severely weak for the past few days because of Gola Mosca. I had to channel my flames so that it would not take any from the Ninth, and I had succeeded in that matter. We have studied the components of Gola Mosca long before we had known that it became the personal slave of Xanxus,"

Then Spanner spoke up, "Actually, the original and final notes are thanks to my dad," he said as he raised his hand. "The Gola Mosca was originally his work, but when he and the military were out to get rid of it, you Vongola people bought it from him," he explained. "It was also through those notes that we discovered how to make the cockpit bigger for two, and to channel the flame absorption of the humanoid,"

Daemon chuckled, "And I did my best to do what was instructed behind the Varia's back," he added.

Tsuna looked at Reborn in the eyes, a feat that no one in the mafia world can do unless they were stupid and clueless. "So you can see that because of my temporary low reserves, I can't fight him head-on," she explained.

"Then why did you schedule it in a week's time?" Iemitsu asked this time, the shock of seeing his daughter looking like a professional Mafiosi leaving him slowly. He might be her father, but she has her own way of intimidating people, and she was intimidating him with her actions and eye contact.

Closing her eyes, Tsuna leaned on her chair, "Sadly, I forgot to…well…" she looked at Giotto for support.

The blond sighed and continued where she left off, "Tsuna forgot to calculate how much the humanoid can absorb her flames at a given time, and we didn't expect for her reserves to return to normal a little after a month rather than a week,"

"And she needs a lot of bed rest, which explains the wheelchair she is in now." G said, "Daemon had been channeling Tsuna's mist flames to create illusions of her so that no one would suspect a thing."

Ugetsu nodded, "And besides, Anna-sama would kill us if something happens to Tsuna within our circle, so we had to confine her here for another two or three weeks at most, and will only be allowed to get out on Saturdays, if you know what I mean," he explained.

"Then tell me, who sent you the request letter?" Iemitsu demanded.

Tsuna hummed, "The Ninth didn't tell you yet? Right before he was abducted by Varia, he had sent me a distress letter, requesting us to help out with the heir selection and that we keep quiet that he has sent the particular letter. Xanxus' letter of assistance came soon after. I had to pose that I had acted on my own pace, with the permission of Vindice to make you believe that no one has made a move inside Vongola that they had asked for our help. I'm sure the fake information we leaked to conceal our inner workings did well for this assignment that I wanted to perform personally," she explained. "So basically, when you sent the letter to Vindice to try and reach us proved to be futile, since we had already started on working on the case right before you had sent Natsuki back home, and right before Xanxus has thawed from his frozen state,"

Natuski stared for a while, trying to sink in the things that he is learning. But there was something that was bugging him right now, "Nee-san…" he caught his sister's attention, "You knew all of this. The mafia and everything…" he started. Tsuna could tell what he was meaning to ask, "You know that I was chosen as the successor after Nono's three sons died in place of you…why didn't you claim it for yourself?" he asked with a straight face that Tsuna was proud of. The boy was morphing into a splendid speaker.

"That's a good question," she replied. "I have a lot of reasons, but one of them is that I respect the decision of Vongola Nono. I'm in no place to protest anyway, and I want to stay ignorant about it as possible, since I already have _Sentinella_, and I wouldn't exchange it for the world. The second reason is that I want you to have your own future, and follow the path you chose, which is the path of the Vongola Decimo," she explained. "Besides, if Xanxus defeated or killed you, and he was found out to be only adopted, they would resort to me, and I don't want that," she added.

"You mean you were acting clueless even though you know things all along and watching things progress? You didn't even give me any help when I needed it…" he reasoned, but he wished to take back his words when he realized his last sentence.

He felt the Head Prefect's glare on him, "I'd watch my tongue if I were you, Sawada Natsuki," he threatened.

Tsuna sighed and looked at her boyfriend, "Now, now Kyouya, don't get too worked up. It's fine," she then smirked, "Now, you wouldn't think I won't help you get some guardians before you faced Xanxus, now wouldn't you?" she stated.

The Sun Arcobaleno furrowed his brows. "That means…" Reborn was starting to get things.

She chuckled, "Yup. I deliberately led you into finding the most skilled people in Namimori as your guardians,"

"But why them? Not that I'm complaining or anything…" Natsuki asked.

Tsuna only smiled, "Let's just say that they were meant to be your guardians," she merely answered.

Now that made the three men thinking. "What are you implying?" Reborn pried more.

"Don't forget, I was watching the matches from the beginning. And I know for a fact that you had encountered Lambo from a parallel world. Actually, they were two. Do you recall what they said?"

Natsuki remembered the mature teenager and adult Lambo from a few days ago. They had seemed to be the same, and yet, different. And they all had something in common when it comes to their memories besides knowing that their Decimo was Tsuna's alternate selves. "The fifteen year-old and twenty-five year-old Lambo recognized everyone but me…"

Tsuna nodded, glad that he was following, "I know you can determine the similarities," she said.

He got it in a few seconds, "G-Gokudera and the others are the guardians of the Vongola in both parallel worlds!" he concluded.

"Very good," Tsuna praised. "Now you understand why I chose them to protect you and become your guardians," she smiled. But then Natsuki let out an I-don't-get-what-you're-saying look. "They are people who are more than capable of becoming one of the strongest people in the mafia world given time, and they will be helpful in your future escapades," she assured. "They are the chosen guardians even on parallel worlds for a reason Natsuki. They are destined to protect the Vongola Decimo," she stated.

Reborn was still skeptical about the girl that was supposed to be the older twin of his student. The girl was a very hard puzzle to solve, not even he, the most dangerous hitman, could decipher the fifteen year-old girl. She would have done well as a mafia boss though, but that was impossible on her part, since she has already set her loyalty to another. He has Iemitsu to blame for that, but that doesn't mean that Natsuki is not capable. It was just that he lacked professionalism and experience.

Tsuna stood up slowly, ignoring the protests of her agents and approached Natsuki and patted his shoulder, "And from now on," she said as she looked at Giotto who was holding the neglected Vongola Ring box, and took it from him. She then shoved it to Natsuki's hand, "I expect you to protect these rings with your life, as it is the most valuable treasure of the Vongola from the Primo himself,"

Natsuki wondered how Tsuna can tell him such trivial matters while smiling so serenely like that. It made him envious on how she had perceived things, and how she reacted to them. As he looked at the box that was given to him, all he could utter was a grunt and a nod.

Tsuna then clapped her hands, "Well then! It's time for you guys to leave the base," she declared as she went back to her wheelchair. "It won't be long before my next set of visitors arrives, and it would be too private to keep you here," she then looked at Ugetsu, "Ugetsu-san, please show them to the exit," she instructed.

Ugetsu nodded, "Well then everyone, please follow me," he said as the people stood up. Natsuki was not too surprised when his guardians followed suit, considering that they are now demoted to _Confidante_ of the organization that the person closest to them leads.

Before Natsuki could exit the room, Tsuna called him. "Oh, and one more thing Natsuki," the boy twin looked back to see his sister sitting on her chair, not looking at him as she spoke. "Another reason why I helped you become the Decimo is that…I did it for myself. I don't want to follow the same things as my alternate selves did…getting pushed around because they were the _last resort_,"

Natsuki was taken aback by this. Last resort? That was the same thing that he had in his head the first time he heard that he was chosen as the Decimo. But to think that Tsuna took it bad…he was rather honored the first time he heard it. "Nee-san…"

Tsuna urged herself not to look at him, "You can go now Natsuki," she plainly stated. Natsuki followed her request (order).

The moment the doors closed, Giotto and the others looked at Tsuna's direction, and saw the blankness on her eyes. They could tell that what she had last relayed to her brother was something that she had not liked at all. All of them knew the fact that she hated the information that her other selves became the Decimo as a last resort, and that the trainings were unwanted.

But that was just the way their lives had been on other worlds. What matters to Tsuna now was that it was not to be repeated in this world, and Natsuki was the embodiment of the desire for her not to take the mantle of leadership of Vongola, but she wanted it to be led by another eligible person. What better way to do it than her twin brother?

Tsuna smiled finally, and then looked at the security screen which was showing the exit Ugetsu has led them to, his guardians conversing with him with smiles on their faces (except for Kyouya and Mukuro), somehow, they were over the fact that they were demoted and began to accept things as it is, after the little conversation she had with them earlier before Natsuki has even arrived. "He has a lot to learn," all looked at her, "But I believe he would make a good boss given time, don't you guys think?" she asked them.

Everyone smiled and looked at the screen in agreement. They would have fun watching the young Decimo grow up.

**And that's the end of Turning the Tables! It was a little bit off, I know, but I think it works better this way. I don't know if you guys will agree with me, but…oh well. At least I had fun in writing this fic. I have been having thoughts in making another arc for this, but I'm a little against it. I'll think about it, and I will let you know if I plan to make a sequel for this. It has been a great eight months!**

**Also, I think I would not be able to get anything done in this site for the next…three months or so because I need to step up on my studies if I want to graduate high school this coming March (I can't believe it's finally happening!) with passing grades. I wouldn't mind flying colors, but that's just overworking myself to death, but you get the deal. I will also be busy hoping that my target college will accept me as one of their incoming freshman this June! If not, well, there's always a last resort. But I will still be reading some fics here when I have the time, God knows how many stories I have set on alert this past year.**

**I would like to thank the people who has been reviewing this fic until the end, and enjoyed them along the way. I would also thank the people who placed this on their favorites. I've never had this much audience interest in my four years as a writer here. **

**Now, if you would, give me your FINAL REVIEW!**


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